


Life Interrupted Redux

by MizJoely



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Parent!lock, Sherlolly - Freeform, Single Parents, Uni!lock, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-27 07:02:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 43,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13875654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizJoely/pseuds/MizJoely
Summary: A one-night stand in uni results in an unplanned pregnancy for Molly Hooper. Too bad she has no idea what the name of her baby's father is. But fate has a way of working these things out. A T-rated version of my M rated story.





	1. Busy Making Other Plans

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Life Interrupted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438669) by [MizJoely](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizJoely/pseuds/MizJoely). 
  * Inspired by [Life Interrupted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438669) by [MizJoely](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizJoely/pseuds/MizJoely). 



> This is a T rated version of my story Life Interrupted.

By the time 22-year-old Molly Eleanora Hooper realized she was pregnant, it was too late to do anything about it. Far too late for a Morning After pill, too late for an abortion, too late for anything except keep it or give it up. She was nearly five months gone and her father had been in the ground for three of them before she finally realized her missed periods weren't due to stress, that her lack of appetite and tiredness weren't entirely depression-related.

If she'd known the name of her baby's father, she'd have gotten in touch with him and let him know. If she knew anything about him other than that he had lovely dark curls and eyes that reminded her of the ocean – an ever-changing mixture of blue and green with tiny amber flecks – and cheekbones to die for, that he was studying chemistry at one of the universities in London and smoked more than just cigarettes, she might have had something more to go on. But she'd known hardly anyone at the party, had been standing alone at the foot of the stairs with her third vodka tonic in a red plastic cup, and he'd come up behind her and deduced pretty much everything about her, from the reason she was standing apart from the crowd to her recent break up with her last – well, technically her only – long-term boyfriend, and she'd turned and seen him and her only thought had been,  _Fuck it, Molly – go for it._

So she had. She'd leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his, ignoring the lingering scent of marijuana – who was she to judge? – for once in her life not fretting over consequences. His mouth had opened beneath hers, deepening the kiss, and at some point she'd completely lost track of her red plastic cup as they began groping one another right there on the stairs.

Things could have gone so differently, she reflected as she stared numbly down at the pregnancy test with its bright blue plus sign. Someone had come clattering down the stairs, muttering, "Get a room, Jesus you two!" before squeezing by them. She could have taken that moment to break away from his arms, murmured an excuse and made her escape. Done the right thing, the smart thing, but the lazy smile on his face as he tilted his head and flicked his eyes upward in a definite question had done something to her, temporarily caused her to abandon common sense and doing the right thing and caused her to nod her response before slipping her hand into his and allowing him to tug her up the stairs to an unoccupied bedroom.

So here she was five months later, a medical student about to enter the pathology program, paying for that lapse in judgment and suddenly pregnant. Well, not suddenly, nearly five months along, but it still took her by surprise. Even seeing the results of the pregnancy test (a very definite positive) still couldn't entirely cement the reality in her mind. How could this have happened? She was on the pill, she wasn't promiscuous; Christ, it had only been once! And he'd worn a condom, hadn't he? The details were hazy, but she was pretty sure she'd insisted on it and that he'd complied without a murmur. Yes, she remembered now; she'd dug it out of her handbag, a leftover from her relationship with Tom Higgins…and proceeded from there to have the best sex she'd ever had in her life, drunk or sober, bar none.

As soon it was over, however, she'd panicked, grabbed her clothes, gabbled something about having to go, and bolted as soon as she was half-way decent, knickers stuffed into her handbag, shoes in one hand, stockings in the other. She'd met no one she knew, although a few of the blokes gave her knowing leers and a few of the girls gave her disapproving scowls ( _jealous cows_ , had been her thought at the time, even in her panic). She'd made her way back to her flat and immediately passed out.

The next morning, before she could begin to process what she'd done and who she'd done it with (how could she have had sex with a guy who was obviously high, no matter how gorgeous –  _and not even get his name!_ ), her mobile had rung. It had been her mother calling with the grim news about her dad's prognosis. It was the beginning of the summer break and the end of Molly's life as she'd known it.

She didn't wait to call her mother; still sitting on the cold tile floor of her dorm bathroom, she laid down the pregnancy test and dug her mobile out of her pocket and pressed the speed dial. As soon as her Mum answered, Molly blurted out the devastating news. "Mum, I'm so sorry. I'm pregnant."

There was a moment's silence on the other end before her mother responded. "Are you sure, love?"

Molly glanced at the discarded test, fighting an urge to burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh yeah, pretty sure. Actually, very sure."

Karen Hooper sighed softly, and Molly squeezed her eyes shut, picturing her mother's disappointment and bracing herself for her next words. "Well, dear, have you talked to Tom about it…oh, sorry!" she exclaimed, interrupting herself. "You broke up with him ages ago, I'm sorry, darling, I forgot…wait, you haven't said anything about a new boyfriend? Who's the father?"

"It's a boy I met at a party. Right before…right before you called to tell me about Dad."

Another long silence as her mother processed Molly's words. "Molly, that was…that was five months ago! Sweetheart, why did you wait so long to tell me? Oh, love..."

Molly broke in to explain how she'd missed the signs, how she'd dismissed them as emotional symptoms rather than what they actually were. "So anyway, Mum, I guess I'll be coming home soon." Her throat started to close up and the tears she'd been fighting fell as she struggled to get the next words out. "I—I'm so sorry, Mum, I can't believe I disappointed you and Dad like this! I'll…I'll find a job and try to f-find a place on my own to live as soon as I…"

"Molly Eleanora Hooper," her mother broke into her unhappy babbling, her voice as sharp as Molly had ever heard it. "What are you going on about? You're talking as if you're going to give up your education!"

"But Mum, what else can I do?" Molly sniffed, rubbing her hand across her nose. She shifted her phone to her other hand and reached up to blindly grope for the box of tissues sat on the back of the toilet. "In four months I'll have a baby to take care of, I can't finish my programme and take care of a baby and get a job and…"

Karen once again cut through her daughter's welling panic. "We'll figure it out. Come home for the week, darling, never mind your classes for now." Her mother sounded quite firm, not at all emotional or angry, certainly nowhere near as upset as Molly had expected her to sound. "Come home, charge the train ticket to my credit card – you have the numbers, right?" Molly nodded, then squeaked out a yes as her mother continued speaking. "Come home, Molly. We'll sit down together and we'll make up a plan. You get in touch with this boy so he knows what's…"

Oh God. The worst part, she still hadn't told her mother the worst part. Molly felt positively sick as she whispered, "I don't even know his name, Mum, or which university he goes to. I'm sorry, please don't hate me, I…"

"Darling, I love you," her mother interjected softly. "Come home. Right now. We'll work things out. Your father wouldn't want you working yourself up over this, and neither do I. Just…just come home," she said, and Molly found herself agreeing without further demur.

Her mother had always been a rock, always available for her two daughters and her husband, always putting their needs first but always so cheerful about it that it was obvious that was what made her happiest. It didn't alleviate Molly's raging guilt one small bit, but she did find comfort in the fact that her mother hadn't screamed at her or thrown blame or done any of the other horrible but justified things she could have said or done in the course of such a conversation.

No, Karen Hooper had been exactly what Molly needed: a loving mother reaching out to comfort her child.

Molly just hoped that, no matter what else the future might bring, she would be as good a mother to her own child as hers was to her.


	2. Expect the Unexpected

**Ten Years (and Four Months) Later**

"William Henry Hooper! What are you doing here?"

Molly Hooper, youngest pathologist on staff at St. Bartholomew's Hospital (newest as well, having only worked there for six months, fresh out of medical school), stood in the morgue and glared at her son. Who looked back at her calmly, as if there was nothing he should be upset or ashamed of, showing up at his mother's place of employment when he should be in school. "Well? Explain yourself, young man!" she said sternly, folding her arms across her chest as she studied him.

He was tall for his age, her William – named after his grandfather and usually called Wills, unless (like today) he was in trouble. He had the Hooper eyes – brown and round – but his other features were purely those of his father, from the unruly dark curls to the sharp cheekbones to the aristocratic nose and long length of neck with its prominent 'freckle mole' as her sister had dubbed it when Wills was brought home from hospital. "Mum, you said he was coming in today, Sherlock Holmes." Her son's eyes shone with excitement as he stepped away from the autopsy table he'd been leaning against – which was thankfully clean and unoccupied – and grinned at her. "I want to meet him. Just five minutes, that's all, then I'll go back to school." He scowled, then tried another grin, this one hopeful. "Unless you think I should just go straight home instead?"

She shook her head and scowled right back at him, not taken in for one second by his lightning quick changes of mood and expression. "No. You are going to march right around and get back on the Tube – I assume you took the Tube? – and go back to school." She fished her mobile out of her pocket. "I'll ring the headmistress right now and explain that you're on your way, and if you're very lucky, I might even make it sound as if it's my fault so you won't spend too long in detention this time."

Her son was precociously intelligent, a real handful, and had been since day one. He'd arrived six weeks early and been habitually late for almost everything ever since then. Molly felt as if she'd been chasing after him her entire life instead of just for the past ten years, and she knew her mother and sister – both of whom had helped raise him while Molly finished her education – felt the same.

She also knew that, like her, they wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. Although today she was annoyed enough to wonder what it would be like to ship him off to boarding school until he was old enough to go to uni.

He dashed to her side and tugged at her wrist, looking up at her – and not that far up! – beseechingly. "Please, Mum, please! His website is wicked, it's so amazing, you know it, I've told you and showed you, you just have to let me meet him! Please! I promise I won't get into trouble at school for the rest of the term, I'll finish all my homework and my chores and I won't even show up Louisa at music practice if you just let me stay and meet him! Please?"

If any other child had made such outrageous sounding promises, Molly would have taken them with a grain of salt – or ten. But her son took things like promises and vows very seriously; if he said he would stay out of trouble and do his homework and chores and even behave himself when he and his cousin were at their violin lessons, he meant it. He'd do it, too, no matter how tempted he might be to 'forget' or let it slip his mind.

He could see the hesitation in her eyes and clearly took it to mean he'd won. "Thanks, Mum! This'll be brilliant, I can't wait!" He practically danced away from her side and plopped onto one of the lab stools, spinning it round to face her again as a grin the size of Buckingham Palace threatened to split his face in two. "I won't be a pain, I promise; just five minutes and I'll go back to school."

Molly sighed, but she wasn't quite ready to fully capitulate. "You also have to promise me you won't ever do anything like this again, William," she said sternly. "I want your word, right now, or no deal."

She waited while he stuck his lower lip out in a pout, reminding him forcefully of his father in that instant, a man she hadn't seen in over ten years. His image had faded a bit over time, but he'd left such a vivid impression that even now she could summon up the exact color of his eyes, the expression on his face as he orgasmed…

She hoped none of her wandering thoughts showed on her face (although she could feel the flush on her cheeks and hoped her son would chalk it up to her being in a temper) as she watched her Wills, the product of that union, give her a solemn nod. "I promise, Mum." Then his grin returned and he jumped off the stool, racing up to give her an enthusiastic hug. "Thanks!"

She returned the hug, then slipped her mobile back into her lab coat's pocket, mentally reminding herself to call the headmistress and try to smooth things over just as soon as Wills met his idol. In the meantime, she had another call to make, one that was going to be just as difficult, she imagined, as the call to Mrs. Witherspoon. "I just have to call my boss, Wills, and explain things. He's bringing Mr. Holmes round in a few minutes, so you just stay on that stool…" She pointed to the one he'd just vacated... "and wait for me to…"

The sound of the door opening behind her caused Molly to spin around, and she bit her lip nervously as the very man she was about to call bustled into the room. He stopped short at the sight of her son, his eyes gone wide in an expression of (to Molly's mind) highly exaggerated surprise. "Who is…Molly? Is that…your son?"

Molly nodded; Mike hadn't met William yet, of course, but she'd talked about him endlessly. She hadn't been so rude as to bombard Dr. Stamford with pictures, since she hated it when people did that to her, but the almost comical expression of shock on his face was really too much; was he deliberately exaggerating his reactions for some reason? Was this his way of expressing his disapproval? Well, nothing to it but to wade in with explanations. "I'm sorry, Mike, but he just showed up. He wants to meet Mr. Holmes, and I hope you don't mind, but since he's already here…"

Mike started and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, yes, Sherlock," he said vaguely, then shook his head and stared at William. "Why didn't you tell me? My goodness, the resemblance, it's quite uncanny…"

Before Molly could ask Mike what the heck he was talking about, the door behind him opened, and a tall, thin figure clad in a dramatic black Belstaff, wearing a blue scarf wrapped around his neck, swept into the room. "Ah, Stamford, here you are. Sorry, I was stopped by that annoying…"

Molly could feel the blood rushing from her face, just as she could feel the sudden pounding of her heart in her chest as she took in the unexpected sight of the man who had come to a stop directly in front of her. Those eyes, those cheekbones, the hair…it was him, the boy from uni. He was Sherlock Holmes, whose picture she'd never seen, who had no photos of himself posted on his website, the consulting detective and deductive genius her son idolized…He was William's father.

She was dizzy, or was it the room that was suddenly swaying around her? She opened her mouth to say something – what, she wasn't sure – then closed it as her vision darkened and her knees gave out beneath her and for the first time in her life, Molly Hooper collapsed in a dead faint.


	3. Come Talk To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your lovely reviews, folks. :)

Molly woke up in a hospital cot. She sat up, then promptly lay back down as her head spun dizzily.

"Take it easy, Molly, you've had a bit of a shock." Mike Stamford, her boss, leaned over her, peering down at her with an expression of warm concern on his round face. His glasses had slipped down his nose, and he absentmindedly pushed them back up with one finger as he peered into her eyes. "Pupils are dilating normally, your breathing is regular, heartbeat's a bit elevated but that's to be expected, and your color looks a bit better, but I'd like you to stay in bed for a bit until we're sure you're all right." He helped her into a sitting position, then handed her a glass of water. She drank thirstily from it before handing it back to him, annoyed that her hands were shaking. And ice cold; symptoms of shock, of course, she recognized them, but the memory of what the shock actually was currently eluded her.

After she'd leaned back against the pillow, Mike's words finally registered, and she looked at him with a puzzled expression. "We?" she asked, then allowed her gaze to wander around the room. It took her a moment to recognize it; the small break room sandwiched between the morgue and the ladies' loo. "Did I pass out?" she asked, feeling more than a bit fuzzy in the memory department.

Mike nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid you did. Perfectly understandable under the circumstances…"

"Where's Wills?" she interrupted him as memory came flooding back, bringing with it a touch of panic. "Is he all right?"

Mike smiled and nodded, but pressed gently on her shoulder with one hand until she subsided against the pillows. "He's fine, he's with Sherlock…uh, his father, I suppose I should say."

Molly closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. So she hadn't been hallucinating after all. "Sherlock Holmes. The consulting detective my son's been idolizing ever since he discovered his website last year. That's his name. After all these years," she muttered, half to herself, but of course Mike was right there, listening to every word. Her eyes opened and she gave him a weak smile. "Well, now you know my sordid little secret. I had a one-night stand in uni with a boy whose name I didn't even know and ended up pregnant with no way to get in touch with him. I hope you don't hold my lack of morals against me now; I promise, I didn't do anything else even remotely as stupid when I was a student. My test grades are all my own…"

"Of course, I never even considered such a thing," Mike replied soothingly, and Molly realized she'd been babbling. But she was still disoriented, still shocked that a man she never thought she'd see again would come strolling back into her life so casually. "You said Wills is with Sherlock…are they…what are they doing?"

"Talking," Mike replied simply. "After Sherlock swooped in and stopped you from hitting your head on the floor – moves like a bloody cobra striking, that man," he interrupted himself with a good-natured grumble. "Even though I was closer, he still got to you before me." He grinned to show no hard feelings, that he was rather laughing at himself than resenting being shown up, and Molly grinned back, although there was almost no wattage to her smile. Not yet. God, her son Wills was  _talking to his father._  But what, she wondered in sudden panic, was he saying? Surely he wouldn't be so unkind as to disparage her to her son's face…but no, Mike would never have left the two of them alone if Sherlock was that kind of man, would he?

"Don't worry, Molly," he said gently, as if reading her confused and conflicting emotions in every flicker of her eyelids. "They seem to be hitting it off quite well. Shall I call them in, or at least William? Do you feel up to it?"

She nodded and sat up, refusing to lie down a second longer, but obediently remaining on the cot **.**  "Of course, and Mike, I'm so sorry…I never meant to cause so much drama, I promise!"

He laughed and patted her on the shoulder in an avuncular manner. "Not to worry, Molly; I'm used to drama when Sherlock is around! Well," he added as his smile dimmed a bit, "perhaps nothing quite so…domestic in nature. Oh, and I've called in Sanjay to cover your shift for the rest of the day." He shushed her attempts at a protest. "You've had a shock, Molly. You need some time to recover. And I've already approved your leave for the rest of the week. To give you time to sort things out. Come back on Monday if you feel you're ready, or let me know if you need more time."

"If you're trying to clinch the nomination for boss of the year, Mike, it's in the bag," Molly called out as he headed for the door. He turned to wink at her in a conspiratorial manner, and she smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you," she said, meaning it and wishing she had the words to fully express how grateful she was to him for being so understanding.

She lay back and contemplated the ceiling as she tried to rearrange her life to fit the new facts that had been so ruthlessly dumped on her today. Fact One: she now knew the identity of William's father. Fact Two: He just happened to be a man her son already worshiped. Fact Three: He knew Molly's boss, Mike Stamford, well enough for Mike to personally escort him to meet Molly. Fact Four: He was just as devastatingly handsome as he'd been when she first met him ten years previous. Same catlike blue-green eyes, same gorgeous cheekbones, same incredible jawline and unruly dark curls – slightly shorter now than they'd been that night – same intensity…

"Fuck," she said aloud. Apparently her libido had decided to restart itself with his reappearance in her life. Just what she needed.

"Isn't that what brought us to this moment in the first place?"

Molly started at the unexpected sound of his voice – Sherlock's voice – coming from the vicinity of the door. She'd (almost, not really) forgotten just how deep and shiver-inducing it was. She sat up and watched as he entered the room, his expression somewhere between humorous and cautious, and she supposed her own was probably a bit like a deer in the headlights, but honestly, what did he expect from her? Making jokes like that, after ten years apart and having their reunion be so bizarrely momentous that it felt like a punch line to some cosmic joke mere mortals like them weren't privy to?

"Um, yeah, well, I…I was on the pill," she blurted out, feeling her cheeks heating although she wasn't entirely sure why. She told herself she wasn't  _embarrassed_ , for God's sake; the embarrassing moment, if it could be called that, had happened over ten years ago!

Sherlock nodded. "I know. I saw the packet sticking out of your handbag," he added as he came further into the room. "That night. When you were pulling out the condom. Doubly protected, yet still…" He trailed off as if unsure what to say, and Molly wordlessly indicated the chair by her bed, a silent invitation to continue the fumbling, uncomfortable conversation that was sure to follow if he stayed.

He hesitated only briefly before closing the door behind him and taking the offered seat. "Your son…our…William is with Mike," he said, shrugging out of his coat and allowing it to fold itself over the back of the chair. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and gave Molly a searching look, no doubt deducing her as her son had more than once described from Sherlock's – his father's – blog. She remained silent, patiently waiting for him to finish, or say something.

Just when she thought he'd fallen into a trance, he blinked and leaned back. "You've never married," he said, his voice curiously neutral, his expression giving nothing away. "Nor ever brought home a serious boyfriend since…for as long as William can remember," he amended. Molly raised an eyebrow; apparently Sherlock and her son –  _their_  son, dammit, why was this so hard? – had had quite the conversation already.

"And we live in our own flat but spend most of our free weekends at my mum's house in Chelsea or at my sister and her husband's place in Belgravia," Molly said, willingly giving up the information, knowing that if he was half the deductive genius he was credited with being, he would find everything out anyway. If Wills didn't tell it all to him first, that is. "How is he? Wills, I mean," she added as Sherlock gave a confused squint (coupled with a rather adorable nose wrinkle… _focus, Molly!_ ). "How did he…was he worried about me?" She moved to swing her legs over the side of the bed, dislodging the blanket that covered her. Sherlock reached out and grabbed it before it hit the floor. "I should go…" Molly made a vague gesturing motion toward the door, but Sherlock, intuiting her intentions, shook his head.

"He wants us to talk first," he said, lips curling in what looked (at least, to Molly's inexperienced eyes) like an affectionate grin. "He said to tell you that we should take as long as we like, he'll be fine until after."

Molly let out an exasperated huff and leaned back against her pillows. "Of course he would, he knows the longer this takes the less chance there'll be that he'll have to go back to school today."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow, giving her an odd look. "Under the circumstances, I imagine him returning to school would accomplish very little."

"Um, yeah, of course," Molly was forced to agree. If she'd been thinking straight, she never even would have suggested such a thing. Still, she was his mum and the need to speak to him, right now, to know that he was okay, overcame her. Murmuring a soft "excuse me for a moment" she pulled her mobile out of her lab coat pocket and hit Wills' speed dial.

He answered after only one ring, his voice an excited gabble. "Mum! You're all right, I know you are 'cause Dr. Stamford said so. Sher—uh, he told me it was okay to call him Sherlock, I know I should call him Mr. Holmes and be respectful, but he's my dad and he says it's too soon to call him that and he's totally right and isn't this  _wicked_ , Mum? Isn't it the most amazing thing  _ever_?! He talks to me like I'm not just a kid, Mum, and he's so…anyway," Wills said, taking a breath but not really pausing long enough for his mother to interject a single word, "I just want you two to talk, okay? Please? Then come and get me after? I promise I'll behave, you know I will, and Dr. Stamford said I could wait in his office and I have my phone and my school stuff and…"

This time Molly didn't wait for him to take a breath, she simply cut him off, knowing that at this level of excitement (and nervousness; she could hear the underlying nervousness in her son's voice, nervousness at finally meeting the father he'd never known and never thought he  _would_  know), he was unlikely to stop until forced to take another breath. "Wills! It's all right, yes, as long as you…look," she said, taking a deep breath of her own and watching Sherlock out of the corner of her eye. He'd sat back and crossed his legs, his hands clasped over his raised knee and looking as cool and composed as she knew she looked flustered and nervous. "Yes, you can wait in Dr. Stamford's office, and make sure you tell him I said thank you. Your fa…uh, Sherlock and I are…we're talking, I don't know how long we'll be, but you and I will talk after, if that's really what you want."

She waited, giving him the opportunity to change his mind, knowing as she did that her often stubborn son rarely looked back once he'd reached a decision. "No, Mum, it's okay," he said, and she could  _hear_  the grin in his voice. "I'll see you later. Whenever. I have money for lunch and everything," he added, addressing a concern she'd neglected in her mental discombobulation. Some mother she was, forgetting her only child's needs like this, never mind the circumstances!

An old saying about not meeting your heroes because they were sure to disappoint drifted through her mind like a warning, but she ignored it for now. In the short-term Sherlock had lived up to every expectation her son had ever had – no,  _exceeded_  them. Who knew what the long term would bring?

That, she resolved as she told William she loved him and hung up the phone, was one of the things she was determined to find out. If not during this conversation, than during whatever conversations the future might bring.


	4. Getting To Know You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your encouraging comments!

Molly looked over at Sherlock again, giving him her full attention. But before she could ask her first question – how did he feel about being so unexpectedly presented with a ten-year-old son he'd never known about – he spoke first. "He's very bright."

She smiled proudly. "Yeah, I know. I should probably have him in more advanced classes – he's especially good at chemistry and maths, did he tell you? – but I want him to stay with kids his own age."

"Does he…get on well with them? The other kids, I mean?" Sherlock asked, sounding a bit wistful. Molly wondered if his own childhood had been difficult or lonely.

"Oh, yes, he's one of the most popular kids in his class," she said. "Sometimes he's a bit  _too_ popular, if you know what I mean; spends more time chatting up his mates than he should, gets a bit, um, high-spirited, but he's a good boy and doesn't get into  _too_  much trouble."

Apparently Wills hadn't held back on anything when he and Sherlock chatted…he'd told his father (that was going to be a difficult term to get used to saying!) about cutting class to meet him today, about the time he'd managed to replace the dead frogs they were supposed to dissect with live ones that he'd meticulously sedated as a prank on his science teacher, and about quite a lot of other things he'd done that Molly had been rather hoping to forget.

Sherlock surprised her when he said, "You named him William. May I ask why?"

There was something in his voice, the slightest catch, which caught Molly's attention. She responded to that hesitation instinctively, wanting to reassure him that it was all right, that she wasn't going to hide anything from him, that she wanted him to know about his – their – son. "You're his father, Sherlock," she said. "You can ask me anything you like about him! He's named after my father and my Mum's dad – William Henry Hooper. Why?" She made another attempt at humor. "Is William not one of your favorite names or something?"

Sherlock shrugged. "I suppose you could say that," he replied, but before she could do more than bristle at his words (what was wrong with 'William', it was a perfectly lovely name!), he lowered his voice and added, "It's just that…it's my name, too. My first name. My full name is William Sherlock Scott Holmes."

"Oh." Molly stared at him blankly. Somewhere in the cosmos the Fates were giggling their ancient, bonyarses off. She'd not known the name of the boy she'd had sex with, yet had ended up naming their son after him anyway. The giggle started off small, then morphed into a full-bellied guffaw as she bent over, laughing harder than she had in years.

After a moment she realized Sherlock was laughing right along with her, his deeper chuckles sounding as sort of counterpoint to her own higher pitched giggles. "W-well, that cinches it," she finally managed to gasp out. "No one will believe me when I say I didn't know you were his father before today!"

"I think my brother might accuse you of having dastardly reasons for 'hiding' Wills from me all these years," Sherlock replied between continuing bursts of laughter.

That last comment served to sober Molly immediately, reminding her of all the things she didn't know about this man. "You have a brother, then," she said. "Just the one?"

"Yes," he replied, sobering as well. "Older. Mycroft." He made a face, as if the name – or the brother – was an annoyance. "Our younger sister, Eurus, died when we were children." The closed-off expression on his face warned Molly that that was not something he wished to go into, and she showed her respect for his privacy with a simple nod of understanding.

"I have a sister, her name's Grace, she's two years younger than me, married and has a daughter. Louisa's two years younger than Wills and they get along, oh, about half the time." She smiled fondly at the thought of her eight-year-old niece. "Mostly when they're not competing over who plays the violin best."

Sherlock gave her an odd look. "He plays the violin?" Molly nodded. Sherlock flexed his fingers, looking down as he said, "So do I."

The coincidences were piling up, the cosmic joke turning into a Shaggy Dog story the longer Molly and Sherlock spoke. "Oh," she said, beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed, then: "Does your brother play as well?"

Sherlock pulled a face that reminded her so strongly of Wills when he found something distasteful that she nearly gasped. "No," was all he said, causing Molly to wonder if he and his elder brother didn't get on well.

She told him about her mum, about her father's illness and why it had taken her so long to discover her pregnancy. Sherlock listened attentively, nodding now and again, and willingly spoke of the rest of his family when she fell silent. "Both parents living, house in Sussex, they're out of the country at the moment but they'll be thrilled…that is, I hope you don't mind if they…" He stumbled to a stop and just looked at her as if uncertain how to proceed.

Molly knew exactly how he felt. "Of course I don't mind. Wills is a very outgoing little boy – well, not so little any more, I guess," she added wistfully. "Anyway, he was already so excited to meet you before he knew…before either of us knew." She tried a smile and knew it was much closer to a grimace but plowed on. "Now that he knows you're his father, you have no idea how over the moon he is about it."

"Oh, I might have a small inkling," he replied with a smirk, and suddenly Molly was taken back ten years, seeing the traces of boy he'd been in that smile. All he needed was a messier head of curls and a bit of stubble and fewer lines around his eyes…and all she could see, suddenly, was the two of them naked, in a stranger's bed, moving against one another with a fierce urgency, and felt the blush climbing up her cheeks as she tried to remember what it was she'd been saying before her mind wandered down such an inappropriate mental byway.

"Um, yes, I suppose he was pretty enthusiastic when he met you," she agreed, toying with the end of her braid, a nervous habit from her childhood that she'd never outgrown. "Anyway, all I meant to say was that I'm sure he'll be excited to meet your family…his family…his other family…oh, bollocks!" she exclaimed as she, found herself stumbling over her words the way Sherlock had only moments earlier. She gave him a helpless look. "This is just so…I wasn't expecting any of this when I got up this morning, you know?"

His answering smile was wry, just a curl of the lips. "Yes, I rather think I do," he said.

"Thank you." Sherlock looked confused at Molly's hastily spoken words, so she elaborated: "For not…running away screaming when presented with a ten-year-old miniature version of yourself. For not accusing me of anything nefarious, for not…blasting me for not trying harder to find you."

"How, exactly, would you have gone about it?" Sherlock asked drily. "Taken out an advert, asking for the chap who shagged you at a party while he was high and you were extremely drunk, to come forward and accept responsibility for the child you were now expecting?" He shook his head at the absurdity of the idea, which Molly couldn't disagree with. "We didn't even have first names or initials to go on, Molly; I'm a deductive genius and I can't even say I'd have been able to find you had I known I needed to do so at the time."

There was no modesty in his voice, but there was no bragging either; he said the words 'deductive genius' in the same matter-of-fact way she might describe herself as a human being. "The only thing I told you about myself was that I was studying chemistry, and as I recall, that was only in the context of making a rather bad joke about the joint I was in the process of lighting up – and to answer your next question, no I don't do drugs anymore, haven't for years – while you ran about in a panic redressing yourself after we'd had sex."

She felt a flash of relief that he willingly volunteered the information that he no longer did drugs, a question she would have felt uncomfortable asking him but would have done so anyway since it was clear he wanted to have some kind of relationship with Wills – but colored a bit at the bland way he spoke of their previous relationship, brief as it had been. But honestly, what did she expect? It had been meaningless sex, a way for her to blow off steam and for him to possibly do the same. She hadn't exactly asked him his reasons at the time. "Why did we?" she found herself asking, curious to hear his take on it. "Have sex, I mean." She felt her blush spreading down her cheeks but tried to ignore it; it was silly, she was a grown woman who had a child, for God's sakes! A child with this very man.

He waved away her question with an annoyed frown. "Why do you think? You were attractive and drunk and I was high and you kissed me on impulse – something I could tell you'd never done before – and that made you even more attractive. No simpering attempts at seduction, no coyness; you wanted something, and you went for it. The fact that the something you wanted happened to be me was very satisfying to my ego; I'm a man, after all, and when an attractive, unattached woman throws herself at me – at least, when I was at uni and still bothered with things like that – I willingly catch her. Caught her." He pulled a face. "Sorry, I seem to have run into some tense changing problems there. But you understand what I mean." He cocked his head to one side, examining her closely. "You're not hurt by my saying that," he pronounced after a moment, sounding faintly surprised. "Why not? I've been told I'm far too blunt, and I know that I'm rubbish at expressing myself when it comes to sentiment, and any number of people have assured me that discussing intimacy with a sexual partner – or even a former sexual partner – can often stir up unexpected emotions."

Molly was pleased to have surprised him by her reaction – or rather, her lack of reaction – to his spot-on analysis of their shared time together. "Why should I be hurt, or upset? It was the truth. I'd much rather you were honest with me than try to spare my feelings by offering me some rubbish lie about how special our time together was. I have to admit, I was surprised you even remembered me," she confessed, lowering her eyes to where her hands were fidgeting with one another in her lap. She consciously forced them to still, to rest together, interlacing her fingers tightly before returning her gaze to meet his. "I'm not exactly, well, memorable." She pulled a face. "Sorry! That sounded like I was trying to get you to reassure me or something. Forget I said it."

His face was entirely unreadable for a long moment; just as she was beginning to wonder if he was having some sort of delayed shock reaction, he blinked and nodded. "Forgotten. Now. I know you have questions for me; ask away, and I promise to be completely honest. And if for some reason I can't, I promise to tell you so."

They spent the next hour quizzing one another on the paths their lives had taken since that fateful party. She found out that Sherlock lived in a flat on Baker Street, only about a half-hour's tube ride from Molly and Wills' home, which he shared with a flatmate – a former army doctor who'd served in Afghanistan and had been invalided out, who was also a friend of Mike Stamford's – and lived what seemed to be a fascinating and somewhat alarming life. How a son would fit into that life was something neither of them brought up.

He deduced a great deal about Molly without her needing to tell him things, impressing her quite a bit. He knew she and Wills had a cat – fur on their clothing, simple when you looked for it, but who bothered? He also told her quite confidently that he knew she was working long hours in order to save up enough money to buy a house, that she hoped one day to move to the suburbs more for her son's sake than for he own, and that she had no intention of asking for any kind of maintenance from him – but that he planned to make arrangements for just that as soon as possible.

Molly tried to protest, but he steamrolled right over her, insisting that it was the least he could do. "But you haven't even asked for a paternity test!"

He gave her a look (one she would grow very used to in the near future), a look that said, plain as day, 'Don't be stupid.' His next words confirmed her interpretation of that look as he said, "Honestly, Molly, even Stamford saw the resemblance. But if you insist, I'll accompany you back to the lab so you can take a DNA sample. I suppose I'd better do it anyway," he added, rolling his eyes in a melodramatic fashion. "Or Mycroft will be after me day and night until I do."

Oh, there was definitely some animosity there; Molly was curious, but kept her questions to herself. She and Sherlock had been talking for over an hour, and that was more than long enough to keep Wills waiting – and to keep Mike, she thought guiltily, busy with temporary babysitting duties. She needed to get her son home, call her mother and sister and have a family meeting to discuss this unexpected development. Thank God Sherlock didn't seem completely aghast at the idea of having fathered a child ten years ago; however, for all Molly knew his seeming acceptance of the situation could simply be due to shock, just as she knew her own reaction was likely to set in once she was home. The easy camaraderie and rapport she thought they shared could be as insubstantial as soap bubbles, here now, gone an instant later.

Besides, it wasn't her relationship with Sherlock that was important, it was Sherlock's relationship – whatever it might turn out to be – with Wills that mattered. "So, um, should we exchange mobile numbers? Do you want to know where we live, should we be talking about schedules and visits? It's fine if you don't," she added in a rush as she fiddled with her mobile. "It can wait, I mean, you just found out about him today and I don't expect you to make any kind of a decision right this min…"

"Molly." Sherlock sounded slightly annoyed, and she gulped and closed her mouth as she gave him an inquiring look. "Do you always ramble like this, or is it just when you're nervous?"

Instead of upsetting her, his terse question caused her laugh again. "Oh, a bit of both. I tend to go on more when I'm nervous, but yeah, this is me, how I am most of the time. Except, well, worse than usual today. But I think I can be forgiven under the circumstances."

He had the grace to look abashed at her implied rebuke, mumbling something about everyone reacting to stress in different ways as he pulled out his mobile. She read out her number, he gave her his, and Sherlock helped her to her feet, keeping a guiding hand at the small of her back as they left the break room.

Wills was in the path lab, peering interestedly into a microscope while Mike lectured him on the properties of the sample he was examining. They looked up when Sherlock and Molly entered the room. Molly smiled brightly and thanked Mike for looking after Wills. She quickly explained what she and Sherlock needed to do, blushing lightly at the prospect of asking for yet another favor – although she'd hardly asked for the first ones Mike had granted, she still felt she was taking advantage of his good nature. She tried to apologize, he brushed it off, and Wills looked positively ecstatic at the thought of being subjected to a DNA test. "That's wicked, that's the coolest thing ever!" he gushed, bouncing around the lab like an overexcited terrier while Molly set everything up.

Fifteen minutes later the swabs had been taken, the tests sent for analysis, mobile numbers and addresses had been exchanged, and Molly was finally ready to take her son home. She was a bit taken aback when Wills turned to Sherlock and said, "Is it all right if I tell people? Or do you want to wait until the tests come back?" His eyes positively lit up as he added, "Or is too dangerous for people to know I'm your son? Do you have a nemesis or an arch-enemy or anything like that?"

Sherlock laughed, a delighted sound, reached out and ruffled Wills' dark curls, so like his own, as he replied, "No, it's fine, tell whoever you like. As long as it's all right with your mother, that is," he added, giving Molly a grin.

She couldn't help responding to that smile, feeling a sudden rush of desire as he caught and held her gaze. God, they'd had sex once, just once, so why was it suddenly all she could think about? "Well, let's hold off until we've talked to your Gran and Aunt Grace," she said lightly. "We'll deal with telling anyone else after that, right?"

Wills nodded, looking a bit disappointed (he'd probably planned to blog about it or at least send out a mass email to his friends), but his expression swiftly returned to one of utter bliss as Sherlock told him he could call him, anytime, day or night – or email, if he so desired. He promised to answer any questions Wills might have – with Molly interjecting that maybe he could pass those questions by her first, to which he and Wills both responded with equal scowls but both reluctantly agreed to.

Then it was over, the first meeting between father and son, which had gone far smoother than Molly could ever imagine, if she'd ever bothered to imagine such a thing. She'd expected to live the rest of her life without ever seeing Wills' father again, and now had to readjust her world view to include Sherlock Holmes, world's only consulting detective and deductive genius, as part of her son's life.

Dinner, she reflected, was going to be very, very interesting tonight.


	5. Telling John

John had finished his shift at the clinic and was reading the paper when Sherlock returned to the flat that evening. “So how was it?” he asked, not bothering to put down the paper. In spite of the fact that he could find far more up-to-date information on the internet, he still preferred to read the daily match scores via what Sherlock scornfully called ‘archaic methods’.

Sherlock tilted his head, brow crinkled in confusion. “How was what?”

John huffed in annoyance. “Your first day driving the Barts pathology staff spare, you prat.”

“Oh, that. Splendid,” Sherlock replied, shrugging out of his coat and carefully hanging it up. He unwound his scarf as he added offhandedly, “Stamford introduced me around, I had an irritating run-in with Dr. Berringer – you remember, the one who refused to believe he’d made a mistake in the Islington case – and, oh yes, I met my son for the first time.”

He smirked to himself as he heard the distinctive sound of a newspaper suddenly hitting the floor.

“Say that again,” John demanded as he stared over at Sherlock, who had plopped into his own chair and lifted up his violin and bow from their case.

“I met my son today,” he repeated obligingly, his smirk widening at the shocked expression on his flatmate’s face. “Although his mother and I had no knowledge of one another’s names at the time of our, hmm, encounter, ten years ago, his name is William.”

“And why, exactly, is that significant…wait, no, never mind,” John said, shaking his head and leaning back in his chair, bemusement and a touch of curiosity – more than a touch, actually – on his expressive features. “Let’s start over, yeah? So you’re telling me you have a son?”

“Apparently. His name is William Henry Hooper, he’s ten years old and somewhat of a fan of mine; he actually enjoys my website enough to skip school and take the Tube to his mother’s place of employment – St. Barts of course – in order to meet me, not knowing that I...” His voice caught and it took him a moment to continue. “He seems bright and looks so much like me it’s rather frightening.”

He went on to explain the situation as it currently stood, then waited for John’s reaction.

It wasn’t long in coming, and his first words were so predictable Sherlock could have recited them along with him if he’d so desired. “What do you plan to do about it, then? Are you going to be part of his life now? Is that even what his mother wants, now that she’s met you again?” He seemed to have the most difficulty believing that his flatmate had actually had a one-night stand, and Sherlock decided now was not the time to delve into his extensive sexual history, or John’s head might explode. Why people persisted in believing him to be devoid of experience was a mystery to him; just because he didn’t indulge now and hadn’t for many years, didn’t mean he’d never tried sex at all!

Then again, he certainly had no interest in sharing with John that simply holding Molly in his arms when she’d fainted had elicited some bizarre form of muscle memory; he’d felt a flash of heat through his body and an image of her naked form beneath his had arisen so clearly that their single night together might have just happened, rather than ten years ago.

She’d aged quite well, Molly Hooper, specialist registrar, in spite of the difficulties she’d faced in not only raising a child on her own immediately following the death of her father (although with what seemed to be a very supportive family to assist her) but in continuing and completing her education at the same time. During that same period he’d earned his Master’s in Chemistry, battled and triumphed over drug use, and forged a unique and exciting career for himself, but all those accomplishments paled in comparison to the quiet fortitude he read so clearly in her expressive features. She’d done an admirable job with raising her – their – son so far, and the only reason Sherlock hesitated to become a larger part of the boy’s life than they’d already tentatively agreed to was because, frankly, he didn’t want to be the reason for all that good work to come undone.

He explained that to John, who shook his head and folded his arms across his chest as he said, “What makes you think you’ll ruin his life just by being a part of it, Sherlock? It’s not as if you plan to ask them to move in with you, or contest Dr. Hooper for custody!”

“They have perfectly happy lives at the moment, John; I would never do anything so foolish as attempt to wrest a child from its mother simply because I happen to have contributed half of his DNA!” Sherlock replied with a huff. “As for moving them in here…” He paused, actually considering the idea, startled to find that the idea of cohabiting with the two of them wasn’t entirely an unpleasant one, no matter how recent the acquaintance might be.

“And you’re actually…all right with this,” John said slowly, for once accurately deducing his friend’s thoughts. “Not just all right, but…happy.”

Sherlock was about to deny that last part, but found he couldn’t, because it was true. The thought of being anyone’s father was indeed terrifying, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny the thrill that had gone through him at the sight of what amounted to a half-sized, pre-adolescent version of himself standing in front of him.

It was almost equal to the thrill he’d gotten at the sight of Molly Hooper. The girl he’d slept with on impulse, and yet hadn’t ever deleted from his Mind Palace the way he had every other person with whom he’d had such a fleeting sexual encounter. The girl whose every detail was inexplicably seared into his memory in spite of the fact that he’d only been with her once and had been doing a bit more than simply smoking pot that night.

The girl – no, the _woman_ – who was once again a part of his life, in the most unexpected way possible.

“I am…not unhappy about the turn of events,” Sherlock finally replied to John’s statement. “I suppose I have you to thank for that, actually.”

John looked surprised. “Me? Why?”

“Because if you hadn’t been in my life, become my friend…I don’t think I would have been ready to welcome the idea of becoming closer to anyone else, certainly not a child.” He chuckled. “Especially since you’ve pointed out on more than one occasion that I can be a bit of a child myself.”

John snorted inelegantly. “More than a bit,” he declared, but grinned as he said it. The grin faded as he shook his head, still clearly coming to terms with the idea of Sherlock having a son. “You didn’t happen to take any snaps while you were getting acquainted, did you?”

Sherlock pulled his mobile out of his pocket and tossed it to John, who caught it easily. “As a matter of fact, I did. None of Molly,” he added, correctly deducing John’s next question. “She was too busy fainting with shock for a family portrait, but you’ll meet her soon enough.”

“Invited her round for dinner, did you?” John asked absently as he scrolled through the pictures of Sherlock and William.

Sherlock’s brow scrunched. “No. Should I have?”

John just shook his head, still closely examining the pictures. “I guess it might be too soon, but it sounds like the two of you really hit it off, and it also sounds,” he added, glancing up with a smirk, “as if you’d like to get better acquainted with you son’s mum as well.”

Sherlock scowled; since when had John Watson become so good at deducing him? Ah well, at least he’d been able to shock the other man when he’d first come home. “If I wish to be part of Wills’ life,” he said stiffly, “then of course I shall have to get to know his mother better as well.”

“I would really like to make a joke about how you’ve already gotten to ‘know’ her about as well as man can know a woman, but I’m betting you’re about as familiar with the term ‘in the Biblical sense’ as you are with the make-up of our solar system,” John said with a smirk. Sherlock gave him his haughtiest stare; of course he was familiar with the term, he simply didn’t appreciate that sort of humor. “But yeah, maybe inviting them to dinner would be a good next step, let them see where you live…”

“Let them meet my exceedingly nosy flatmate?” Sherlock cut in, rather acerbically.

John, however, was not at all abashed. “Exactly,” he agreed. Then, as something occurred to him: “Have you told Mycroft yet?”

“Not yet, I thought I’d wait until the results of the paternity test come back – Molly insisted,” he added, seeing John about to become outraged that Sherlock hadn’t simply accepted the truth based on shared history and how closely he and his son resembled one another. “And it’s just as well, as I’m sure Mycroft would also insist. Our parents will be thrilled, but as I told Molly, they’re currently in America…”

“Your parents?” John interrupted, looking surprised. “Your parents are still…well, of course they are, you just said so, sorry.” He gave his head a quick shake. “But you never talk about them so I just assumed you and Mycroft were the only members of the Holmes clan still living.”

“Oh, no there are loads of Holmes’ cousins and some elderly great-aunts and uncles,” Sherlock said, shrugging to indicate both their quantity and their inconsequence. “I suppose you’ll want to meet my parents eventually as well, so the next time they’re in London I’ll be sure to invite them round.”

John grinned, obviously anticipating this meeting very strongly. “Fantastic!” he replied. “And in the meantime, invite Molly and William for dinner, yeah? Mrs. Hudson will be pleased as punch to find out you’ve got a son, you know she will!”

Sherlock gave an exaggerated sigh and indicated that John should return his mobile. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been invited to dine with the Hoopers on Tuesday. If that goes well, then maybe - maybe! - I’ll bring Molly and Wills round to meet you. But not until my family meets them first or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Fair enough,” John conceded. “Can’t wait to hear how Mycroft feels about being an uncle!”

“His opinion on the matter means less than nothing to me,” Sherlock huffed. “Either way I’ll be sure to tell Mrs. Hudson about my most recent changes in family status. She’ll want to know every last boring detail I’m sure, and I suppose I’ll have to tell Lestrade at some point…”

“He’ll be just as tickled as Mrs. H to meet your son and his mother,” John said. He chuckled and picked up his paper from the floor. “Wow. Sherlock Holmes, a dad.” He shook his head. “Never thought I’d see the day. ‘Married to your work’…” he stopped and guffawed, much to Sherlock’s irritation. “Well, since St. Barts is part of your work now, and Molly is a pathologist there, I suppose it’s only logical that she’d be the mother of your son.” Still chuckling at his own (overinflated) humor, he went back to scanning the football scores, and Sherlock busied himself sending a text to Molly, issuing the suggested dinner invitation. Then he supposed resigned himself to showing Mrs. Hudson the photos of William and filling her in on the situation.

He sighed. His life had just become infinitely more complicated, and yet, as John had so accurately pointed out, he still felt rather happy about it.

 


	6. No Reason To Be Nervous, Right?

"Maybe we should eat out somewhere. A nice restaurant. Or at your sister's house, their dining room is much nicer than – "

"Mum! Stop fretting!" Molly said in fond exasperation as her mother fluttered around the kitchen, opening and closing drawers and cabinets without really glancing inside any of them.

They were in the comfortable house where Molly and Grace had grown up – and Wills, too, once he'd come along to enliven and exasperate the three of them. The dining room held eight, ten if everyone was  _very_  friendly. More than enough room for Molly, Wills, Karen, Grace and her husband and Louisa, and Sherlock.

Sherlock had called to invite she and Wills to dinner at his flat, but she'd wanted him to meet her parents before being introduced to his flatmate and the landlady he spoke of with a mixture of fondness and impatience that told her how familial that relationship really was. He'd agreed, and soon he would be here, in the place where his son had been raised until Wills and Molly had moved into their own London flat just a year earlier. He would see everything and no doubt make some of those blindingly fast deductions of his, and Molly could understand why her mother would be nervous. The house was large and comfortable, and had been cleaned to within an inch of its proverbial life, but the furniture hadn't been new since Molly's father had been alive, and the knickknacks were all rather cheap and gaudy. Sherlock had come from a posh background and wore expensive clothes; what would he think of it all?

It didn't matter, she reminded herself. He wasn't here to pass judgement on her mother's house, he was here to meet his son's family. And if he did pass judgement...well then. That would tell them exactly what kind of person he was, and it was better to get that sort of unpleasantness out of the way rather than be shocked by it sometime down the road. Sometime after Wills had already become too attached for them to distance themselves from his father again.

Molly knew it was just her own panic trying to make itself known, these second thoughts she was having, and concerns about back-up plans and 'just in case'. She didn't want her son hurt, and letting his father into his life was opening up just such a possibility. Then again, that ship had already sailed; was, in fact, so far out of port that not even a tiny dot on the horizon could be seen of it. Wills was dazzled by the fact that his father was one of his heroes, and already seemed to think the sun rose and set on the man's rather nicely built shoulders.

"Oh, stop it!" she exclaimed to herself and went back to laying the table. She'd just admonished her mother for fretting, and here she was doing it too. Worse, she'd once again found herself daydreaming about the night Wills had been conceived, and imagining – fantasizing – about how she and Sherlock might once again connect as more than simply parents.

No, that was another ship that had well and truly sailed, she told herself firmly as she placed the linen napkins and good china that had once belonged to her grandmother in place. And even if there was the possibility of the two of them, er, getting to know one another again, it had only been four days since that second meeting! Nowhere near enough time for her to be thinking such ridiculous thoughts.

Instead, she thought about how her mother and sister had reacted when Molly had hesitantly told them the news; not wanting Wills to be the first one to bend their ears in his excitement, she'd rung her mother up after Sherlock had left the hospital. Telling her over the phone wasn't the best way to do it, but it was definitely better than Wills bursting into the house and shouting the news at the top of his lungs when they arrived for the weekly family dinner. Which, as luck would have it, just happened to be scheduled for tonight.

Her mother had gone very, very quiet when Molly had explained the situation to her, not interjecting so much as a single gasp or question until her daughter stopped talking in order to ask, "Mum? Are you all right? Are you still there?"

"Yes, luv, I'm still here," Karen Hooper had replied, sounding a bit faint. "I'm sitting, just like you told me to, but frankly, darling, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get up again. It's just such a shock…oh, and listen to me!" she'd exclaimed. "Going on about what a shock it is to me, when it must have been an even greater one for you! Are you all right? And Wills? What's he like?" The dam had broken and the torrent of questions continued until Molly could interject her intention to answer them all at dinner, and asked her mother to take Grace aside and tell her when she and her husband and daughter arrived.

That had been a rather lively dinner, to put it mildly, and Molly was certain this one would be…well. Either strained and awkward or loud and accusatory – Grace had been very vocal in her disapproval of Sherlock, having read about him in the papers a few times in the past. Her husband Mark had known the whole sordid story, since Grace, much as Molly loved her, couldn't keep a secret to save her life and never even tried once she was married. Mark had blessedly told Molly he looked forward to meeting Sherlock, which had earned him a face-splitting grin from his nephew. Louisa had been enthralled, telling Wills over and over again it was "just like a fairy tale!" and even though he'd scoffed, Molly could tell he was pleased at his cousin's reaction by the faint hint of pink on his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

At the end of the night, everyone had come around to the idea of it being a good thing that Wills had finally met his dad, even Grace. But who knew how those opinions would hold in the face of reality?

A reality that was nearly upon them. The sound of the front door opening caught Molly's attention, and she heard Louisa calling for her grandmother while Wills clattered down the stairs to greet them. As the familiar voices filled the hall, Molly found herself wiping away a sudden tear of happiness; how had she gotten so lucky, what had she ever done to deserve so much love and joy in her life? Yes, there had been hard times and sorrow, but overall she had very little to complain about. She had a wonderful mother and loving sister and fantastic brother-in-law and adorable niece and a brilliant, amazing son – and, perhaps, she and Sherlock might have something more as well?

She silently scolded herself for once again drifting into daydreams, and went to join the rest of the family in the kitchen as they waited for Sherlock to arrive.

**oOo**

He wasn't nervous. He'd told John he wasn't nervous when the other man asked, and he'd reiterated that belief – truth! – when Mycroft had snidely asked him the same thing.

Yes, Mycroft had found out, of course he had, and shown up at Sherlock's flat the next morning, shortly after John left for his shift at the clinic. So shortly afterwards that Sherlock knew his brother had timed his visit precisely. He'd recognized his footsteps coming up the stairs and called out irritably to him to hurry up and get whatever it was he was here for over with – and that if it was a case, then the answer was 'no'.

Mycroft had said nothing until he entered the flat, taking a seat on the sofa, settling his ever-present brolly across his lap, and pursing his lips as he looked around before finally meeting Sherlock's eyes. "Well, at least he's old enough that you shan't have to worry about baby-proofing this death trap."

Sherlock had refrained from rolling his eyes, but only barely; of course his brother would already know, probably had known within minutes of Sherlock finding out. Or sooner? He'd narrowed his eyes and frowned as he studied his brother. "When?" he'd asked, barking out the single word like the accusation it was meant to be.

Mycroft had raised his hands in a surrendering position, a slight smirk on his lips. "Not until after you did, brother dear, you have my word on it. I haven't been quietly keeping tabs on your offspring behind your back all this time. Mummy would have my head if I'd ever dared keep a grandchild out of her life even if it was for altruistic reasons."

Sherlock had snorted, but relaxed a bit, relieved beyond measure that Mycroft hadn't, indeed, kept such knowledge from him. His elder brother could be cloyingly overprotective at times, but it was good to know he recognized the concept of boundaries even if he rarely allowed them to stand in his way.

They'd discussed Sherlock's relationship with the boy as it currently stood, and Mycroft had issued the expected, tedious warnings about sentiment, but the words had sounded weak even coming from him, a sign that he might actually be interested in acting as an uncle to Wills. Well, even if he wasn't interested in forming a relationship with his nephew, Mummy and Dad would be sure to do their best to change his mind. They'd left their sons to live their lives as they saw fit, rarely intruding as they enjoyed their retirement years, but in this one area Sherlock knew Mummy would be impossible to control. She'd wanted grandchildren almost from the moment puberty had hit each of her sons, and had been frustrated in that ambition by Mycroft's utter disdain for humanity in general, and Sherlock's similar feelings. Yes, they'd each dutifully brought home romantic partners during their uni years, but none of Mycroft's boyfriends or Sherlock's girlfriends had lasted more than six months, until each brother had separately concluded that such relationships simply weren't worth the bother.

But then DI Lestrade had come into Sherlock's life, offering him cases as viable substitutes for the drugs that had been the only thing to still Sherlock's ever-buzzing brain. Then Mrs. Hudson, his landlady-not-your-housekeeper, who'd effectively become his London mum after uni. And after them, John Watson, the first person Sherlock had called a friend in over a decade, had come along, putting more cracks in the defensive walls around his heart. Cracks that were now more like crevasses that easily allowed William Hooper entry, although Sherlock suspected he'd have made his way there even without the existence of the other people in his life.

Flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, William Henry Hooper had already invaded not only Sherlock's heart – the heart he'd denied having for so many, lonely years – but had also taken up residence within his father's mind palace, slipping into place as easily and comfortably as if they'd known one another for years rather than less than a week.

William, and his mother. Sherlock had been startled to find that Molly had also made her way into his mind palace, and he still wasn't entirely sure why or how it had happened. Yes, she was the mother of his son, a woman with whom Sherlock had once been intimate, but surely that was no reason for her to occupy so much of his thoughts?

His arrival at Karen Hooper's small, tidy brickfront home brought him back to the present. He noted the presence of a second car in the drive and deduced that the sister – Grace, aged twenty-seven, a secretary at a large bank, one daughter aged eight and the husband, Mark, a professor of literature at some boring university or other – had already arrived. So much for a few private moments of conversation with either Wills or Molly, then. He let out a small huff of annoyance and parked his borrowed vehicle next to the curb.

He wasn't nervous. There was no reason for him to be nervous; he didn't care about other people's opinions, never had, so why should he start now?

_Because these people are important to you son, and you want to make a good impression,_  his own mind snapped back at him.  _Don't be an idiot. Of course you're nervous. Now go in there and make a good impression._

He smiled wryly and exited the car, then headed up the front path at a brisk pace. No point in putting off the inevitable.

Before he could knock the door was pulled open, and he saw Wills' eager, smiling face before him. "Hey!" the youngster said, pulling the door wider and stepping aside. "Come in, everyone's here and they all want to meet you!"

Mustering up a smile for his son, Sherlock nodded and squared his shoulders.

Time to face the Hoopers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your lovely comments, folks. Glad you're enjoying the story!


	7. Dinner With The Hoopers

"Is it going to be dangerous for our Wills, you being in his life?"

"Grace!" Molly hissed, mortified, but Sherlock seemed utterly unfazed by her sister's rudeness as he responded to her blunt question.

"He'll be in no more danger with me as a father as he would be if I were a policeman, a firefighter or in the military," he replied calmly. "The only 'nemesis' I've ever laid claim to is my older brother Mycroft, and that is strictly in jest."

Molly wondered about the truth of that statement, remembering uneasily how she'd sensed a strain in their relationship when Sherlock had described his elder brother, but she could certainly understand sibling rivalry. Sometimes – like now, for instance – Grace drove her absolutely spare.

Dinner was less than halfway done and already her younger sister had demonstrated exactly how ill-suited her given name was to her personality by virtually attacking Sherlock about his career as a consulting detective. On the other hand, Molly could understand her unease; she had reservations of her own, although she'd mostly set them aside until she better understood Sherlock's life. To hear him describe it so calmly as being equivalent to the life of others who put themselves in harm's way actually helped. And once she met his family, as he was now meeting hers, she hoped to have any lingering concerns utterly quelled.

If, of course, she wasn't sent to prison for murdering her younger sister first.

"Sherlock works with the police, and he has a medical doctor for an assistant, so I don't think it's necessary to give him so much difficulty about his career, Grace," Karen interjected with a warning look at her younger daughter. Grace, whose mouth had opened as if to ask another loaded question, sullenly subsided into her seat, taking a forkful of roast but glowering at Sherlock suspiciously even as her husband asked him how he'd come to work with the Met in the first place.

That led to an entertaining series of stories that included Sherlock's first meeting with DI Lestrade, a man who sounded utterly fascinating to Molly. But then, she suspected anyone Sherlock talked about would sound utterly fascinating to her; she found she could listen to his voice no matter what he was talking about.

She caught herself briefly sinking into a bit of a daydream where he was whispering some rather filthy things to her in that rich, velvety voice, but was jolted out of it when she heard Wills asking if he could ever go along on a case with his father.

"Um, perhaps we'll leave that sort of thing for when you're a bit older," she told her son, who gave her the same glower he'd learned from Aunt Grace. She returned the look with the same quelling expression she and Grace had both mastered from years of watching their mother use it on them. "When you're a bit older, William," she repeated, stressing the use of his full name so he'd understand how not-kidding she was.

By the dinner was over it was clear that not only was Wills enthralled with his newly-discovered father, but his cousin Louisa was as well. Grace, in fact, was the only one who still seemed visibly uncertain about him, but over coffee and Karen's lemon bars, she thawed out a bit. Especially when Sherlock demonstrated some of his deductive skills on the two children – but not, Molly noted, on any of the adults. She wondered if it was out of deference to her or her son, but either way she was relieved that he appeared to be on his best behavior. Not that she had anything to measure by, but she'd read some of his blogs, which were fascinating, and then some of the more lurid case blogs posted by his friend John Watson. And in those more informal postings, the picture was painted of a man who didn't normally give a fig about anyone's opinion of him.

It would be interesting to see how long it would take the 'real' Sherlock Holmes to make an appearance.

**oOo**

"My parents would like you and Wills to come for dinner next Friday, if it's convenient."

Molly had walked Sherlock out to his car after he'd said his good-byes to everyone else; he'd seen and admired Wills' old bedroom, where he still slept on nights when Molly had to work an overnight shift, solemnly promised to show both children his preferred limbering up exercises on the violin – and committed to putting on a violin trio at some undisclosed time in the future. When he'd reached out as if to shake Wills' hand, however, Molly had seen the decision in her son's eyes right before he launched himself at his father, throwing his arms around his waist and squeezing.

Sherlock had looked stunned, but had quickly moved to return the embrace when Wills looked up at him with a brilliant smile on his face.

That was when Molly had decided it was time to give both father and son a few moments to collect themselves, and offered to walk Sherlock to his car while Wills and Louisa were set to their usual task of washing up whatever dishes their grandmother hadn't already cleaned. And although Sherlock had remained on his best behavior the entire time, Molly couldn't help worrying that he'd let her relatives know what he really felt about them.

"Oh, um, dinner, yes, that sounds lovely!" Molly said in response to Sherlock's statement. "I know Wills is looking forward to meeting everyone."

"Yes, and the same is certainly true of the reverse," Sherlock said with a brief smile. The smile turned into something of a grimace as he muttered, "Well, mostly true." At Molly's uncertain glance, he explained, "My brother Mycroft can be a bit anti-social at times. Well, so can I," he added with a shrug, "but I pride myself on the fact that I've gotten a bit better at it over the years. He prides himself on not feeling it necessary outside diplomatic circles. Certainly not at family gatherings."

That, Molly presumed, was something in the nature of a warning for her to expect a less than warm welcome from Mycroft Holmes; she bristled a bit, but on Wills' behalf rather than her own. Therefore she felt compelled to give out a warning of her own: "He can be as rude to me as he likes, Sherlock, but if he says one thing to hurt our son's feelings…"

"You can be assured that not only will he find himself facing your wrath, but my own and, more importantly, that of my parents," Sherlock replied, with a glint in his eyes that told Molly he was rather looking forward to the idea.

"I'm sorry about Grace," Molly said, not quite changing the subject but certainly adjusting it a bit; she was already nervous about meeting Sherlock's family and didn't want to think about it until she'd at least gotten this first meeting with her own family behind them. "She can be a bit…"

"Blunt? Honest?"

Molly stifled a small giggle at Sherlock's suggestions. "I was going to say 'rude', actually," she confessed. "She calls it 'speaking her mind' but Mum and I both think she just likes stirring up drama."

"Ah, no wonder I like her," Sherlock replied. Molly hoped he meant it; he sounded sincere but it was hard to tell without being able to see his expression.

"I think she likes you too," Molly said warmly, deciding to take his words at face value. "And I know everyone else does, especially my mum. And she's definitely the only one you needed to worry about."

"Hmm, so I needed to worry, did I?"

He sounded teasing and Molly gave another little giggle as she shrugged. "Of course; you don't know them, they don't know anything about you except what Wills and I told them, it's only natural to be nervous."

"I wasn't," he replied swiftly, so swiftly that Molly's inner voice cried 'liar!' although she kept her thoughts to herself. She was certainly nervous at the prospect of meeting Sherlock's family, even if she doubted she'd have much interaction with them after the initial getting-to-know-one-another stage; after all, she wasn't the one becoming part of their family, only Wills. And she firmly believed they would love him as soon as they met him, although she felt a stab of quickly-quashed jealousy at the thought that, to them, she'd be nothing more than a means to an end.

Trying to avoid falling into a ridiculous bout of self-pity, Molly mumbled something about getting back to the house and turned to go, but stopped her with a hand on her wrist as she turned back toward the house. Molly froze at that touch and he swiftly withdrew his hand with a slight cough. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't," she replied, shaking her head and tucking her trembling hands into her pockets. "I, uh, just didn't want to keep you. Make you late or anything." She was glad the darkness would hide the sudden rush of color in her cheeks; she'd felt a flush of heat pour over her at his touch, just the way she had the first time he'd touched her, all those years ago. Well, technically she'd done the touching then, but when their lips had met that night…she felt that same tingle, that same sense of reckless anticipation. Her hands weren't simply in her pockets to keep Sherlock from seeing how his touch had affected her, but to keep herself from giving in to the temptation to throw her arms around his neck and snog him senseless.

"I've no further plans for the evening. You're not keeping me from anything." Was Sherlock as inclined to linger as she was? And if he was, then why?

Molly thought about asking him, just straight out asking him, when the front door opened, spilling light into the yard. "Molly? Is everything all right?"

"Just fine, Mum!" she called back, knowing that Grace must have prodded their mother into intervening. All the adults probably wanted their chance to dissect the evening in detail, even Mark; he was almost as bad a gossip as her mum. With an apologetic murmur, Molly said good-bye and trudged back to the house, resisting the urge to watch him drive away, instead bracing herself for the deluge of uncensored commentary she was undoubtedly about to be met with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for your lovely comments. A quick reminder: The story will be updated fairly quickly (every couple of days or so) until I catch up with the M rated version, currently standing at 19 chapters.


	8. Dinner With the Holmeses Part 1

"Mycroft, dear, do promise to be on your best behavior."

In spite of the affectionate tone of her voice, there was a glint of steel in Violet Holmes' blue-green eyes that promised mayhem if her eldest born did anything she would consider not acting on his best behavior tonight.

Sherlock appreciated his mother's efforts on Wills and Molly's behalf, but he doubted that anything she did or said would keep Mycroft for letting his opinions of the two be known, either subtly or overtly. Then again, the same was generally true of himself, but this time there was too much at stake for Mycroft to be allowed to act his usual snotty self. "Yes, Mykey," he said, deliberately using his brother's hated childhood nickname – well, it wasn't as hated as 'Fatty' but Sherlock didn't feel like crossing that particular line tonight. "Do behave. If I could restrain myself from making deductions about Molly's family for an entire dinner, I think you might be able to manage the same." His tone implied that he doubted any such thing, and he hoped Mycroft would take it as a challenge rather than the blatant attempt at manipulation it actually was.

"He will if he knows what's good for him," their mother said firmly, ushering Sherlock into a tight hug while she continued to admonish Mycroft with her eyes. She patted her youngest son on the shoulders before pulling back and smiling up at him. "Oh, Sherlock, you know your father and I will love Molly and Wills, just from what you've told us about them!"

"Your potential affection for Miss Hooper is beside the point," Mycroft put in with a sniff as he rustled the newspaper he was ostensibly reading while seated at the comfortably crowded kitchen table. "She and Sherlock aren't dating, and what they had whilst in university was hardly the stuff of romance."

"Mycroft David Holmes!" Violet scolded as she released Sherlock and moved to stand over her eldest son, hands on her hips and an open glare on her face. "That is exactly the sort of nonsense I won't tolerate at dinner tonight, you hear me? Whether Molly and Sherlock enter into any sort of relationship outside of co-parenting or not is none of your concern! She's still the mother of my only grandchild, and I won't have you treating her like a nonentity!"

Sherlock smirked at Mycroft's annoyed expression, pleased that his mother was reacting exactly as he'd predicted she would – and as he'd counted on her doing. He wanted Molly to feel just as welcome as Wills, especially as he had no intention of keeping the lady in question at arm's length or using her as nothing more than a medium of contact with his son. As Mycroft had so snottily pointed out, their initial interaction was hardly romantic, but the more time he spent with Molly, the more interested he was in getting to know her better. Wills was still the most important part of their interactions, of course, but the potential for a closer relationship with his mother held a great deal of appeal to the consulting detective – although he refused to examine his motivations, instead opting to do what so many others did in their lives and, for once, let things unfold as they would.

He certainly wasn't going to dwell on his activities following his return to Baker Street after dinner with Molly's family – the ones that took place in the privacy of his bedroom after he had to endure a virtual interrogation by John Watson as to how the evening had gone. "You're sure you didn't go into one of your usual…things you do and piss them all off?"

"No, John, I was a perfect gentleman in spite of severe provocation on Molly's sister's part," he'd responded, then proceeded to give as dry and factual a recounting of the night's events as he could – excluding the contents of the private conversation he and Molly had shared at the end.

And John was to remain blissfully unaware of the fact that after he retired to his bedroom, Sherlock masturbated (for the first time in five years) to memories of that single night he and Molly had spent together – along with some very vivid fantasies as to how they might build upon those activities in future.

It was ridiculous and he knew it; even though he and Molly had reconnected in so unexpected a manner and come to know something about one another's lives since their singular night together, they were hardly in a position to begin dating, let alone any more…intimate activities. And in spite of the fact that she seemed to be interested in forming a more personal connection with him – as interested as he was in doing the same with her, or else he'd completely lost his deductive skills! – he still knew he had to do as John would no doubt advise him, were he to ask his friend for such advice, and take things slowly.

Dinner with her family, getting to know them and letting them get to know him, had been a first step. Dinner with his would be the next. After that, who knew? He would have to let Molly take the lead, in spite of his natural inclination to simply plough forward and do what he wanted. His experiences with John had certainly taught him the value of forming human attachments close enough to be called friendship, to make him realize what he'd been missing all those lonely years.

"Anticipating a pleasant evening with the newest member of the family, Sherlock, or possibly revisiting your old relationship with his mother?"

Sherlock didn't bother glaring at Mycroft, who was clearly in full-snark mode now. He'd snuck outside for a quick smoke, so of course his brother just had to follow after him. They were grown men; their mother had certainly scolded them enough about acting their ages and getting past their childish snits, but neither one could seem to let go entirely of old resentments, or get over bad habits.

Instead of responding, Sherlock silently handed his brother the pack of cigarettes and the lighter. Mycroft took both, lit up, and let out a silent stream of smoke before speaking again. "You do realize the utter disaster it would be if you tried to convince this woman that you were capable of maintaining a romantic relationship of any sort, don't you?"

Sherlock snorted and took a drag off his own cigarette. "I never said that was my intention, Mycroft," he replied. "I find it difficult enough to remain civil with people I've known all my life, let alone someone I know very little about and have only recently come to know in anything other than a carnal way."

Mycroft didn't look convinced, and Sherlock could hardly blame him, since the words were more an automatic, knee-jerk response than what he actually felt. "But if it was…would that be so bad?" he found himself asking in spite of himself.

Instead of barking out the expected 'of course it would, Sherlock, don't be stupid' response he was expecting, Mycroft took a long drag off his cigarette and gazed off into the distance. "It would be if you were doing it only because you thought that was what was expected of you," Mycroft finally said. "But I can see your affection for your son is very real, so who's to say your affection for his mother might not be as well?"

Sherlock nearly choked on his inhale at hearing what amounted to pure sentiment from his brother's lips. Mycroft waited with a supercilious smile on his lips for his younger brother to recover. "What the hell am I supposed to say to that?" Sherlock finally gasped out, staring at Mycroft disbelievingly.

"Say anything you like, but I'd advise you to say it a bit later." Mycroft nodded, his gaze on the road. Sherlock turned automatically to see what he was looking at, and saw Molly's small car just turning onto the drive. Wills' arm was out the passenger window, waving wildly, and he waved back, a smile curving his lips as he heard Mycroft moving away. "I'll leave the joyful reunion to the three of you for now. You can make the introductions to all of us at once."

Sherlock hummed his agreement, distracted by the sight of Molly and Wills spilling out of the small car. Wills came running up to greet him, catching him round the waist in another of his exuberant hugs, which Sherlock returned, his eyes on Molly as she opened up the boot and struggled to lift something out.

Once Wills had let go of him, Sherlock nodded at Molly. "Maybe we should help your mum with whatever she's doing?"

His son flashed his mother a guilty look. "Oh, right, yeah. Sorry, Mum!" he called as he dashed over to the car.

"It's all right, it was just stuck," Molly said when Sherlock asked if he could help. He peered down and saw that she'd brought not only a lovely bouquet of flowers that he knew his mother would love, but what appeared to be a packet of her mother's lemon bars and a box holding several photo albums. "Baby pictures," she said by way of (unneeded) explanation while Wills groaned and rolled his eyes. "None of that, young man; your father and his family might want to see what a fat little sprout you were!"

"Hmm, then he seems to have taken after his Uncle Mycroft," Sherlock said, eliciting a grin from Molly and another groan from Wills. Who, in spite of his grumbles, was now holding the box while Sherlock freed Molly from the burden of the lemon bars and flowers so she could close the boot. "Right then, time to meet my side of the family. I warn you, Wills; your uncle is a snarky man at best, and my parents – your grandparents, and believe me, they'll want you to call them Nan and Papa or something along those lines, so be warned – will want to look at every one of those pictures, and hear every story your mother has to tell about when you were a baby."

Wills rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath so hard that it blew his dark curls up from his forehead in a motion Sherlock had perfected by the same age. It brought a smile to his lips and helped ease some of the anxiety that was currently knotting his stomach. Yes, Mycroft was likely to be a bit of a bastard, but his parents would absolutely fall in love with Wills and Molly.

Just as, he suspected, he was already doing.


	9. Dinner With the Holmses Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note reminding folks that I wrote the bulk of this story well before S4 so it's definitely not canon compliant (especially in regards to Redbeard and Eurus). 
> 
> That being said, thank you all for your lovely comments. I appreciate every single one of them.

"And this is Sherlock when he was in his pirate phase."

Molly shot a look at the man in question, noting the slight pink tinge to his ears even as he scowled at his mother, seated next to Wills on the comfortable green sofa opposite the chairs he and Molly occupied. Violet Holmes took no note of his unhappy expression, beaming at him before returning her attention to the photo album she'd pulled out while Robert and Mycroft set the table. Mycroft, Molly had the feeling, had been drafted into doing so just to keep him busy – and away from her and Wills.

They'd already looked at the photos Molly had brought, which had inspired Mrs. Holmes – "Do call me Violet, dear" – to bring out albums of her own. Mycroft Holmes had rolled his eyes and muttered something about how tedious he found such things, Sherlock had scowled even though Molly had the distinct impression he agreed with his brother, and then Mr. Holmes – "Robert, please, Molly!" – had then dragged his eldest son off to help lay the table for dinner in spite of his protests.

Her son, who normally found paging through old photos the most boring thing on the planet, was enthralled at the sight of his father as a small boy. "He was six," Violet said as she held up the book to show Molly. She smiled as she caught Wills sneaking a glance at Sherlock, as if comparing his face with the photo of the widely grinning youngster wearing a pirate hat and eye patch. The young Sherlock was also brandishing a plastic sword, and there was a gorgeous Irish Setter reclining at his feet, looking rather dashing with a pirate hat of his own perched on his head.

"That's Redbeard, Sherlock's dog," Violet said helpfully, and Molly could have sworn she saw Sherlock wince a bit, from the corner of her eye. But when she turned to look at him, he seemed as bored as ever. "Poor thing got cancer and had to be put down. Very sad."

Sherlock went very still, his expression shuttered, and Molly understood how close he'd been to his pet, close enough that the death still hurt even after all these years. Without thinking she laid a sympathetic hand on his knee. "We had to put down our cat, Beanie, when I was eight," she said softly.

Sherlock had stiffened further at her touch, and she pulled her hand back with an apologetic smile. Aside from Wills, he seemed to only barely tolerate anyone else's touch. "Sorry," she muttered, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I just…"

"No," he said, abruptly turning his head to look at her while Wills and Violet chattered on companionably. "It's…it's all right." His lips curled up in a small smile, and Molly relaxed again.

It was strange, feeling so awkward around Sherlock – not because he was still a virtual stranger to her, but because she had to keep fighting the urge to touch him, to treat him as if he were someone she'd known all her life. It was awkward because she felt so comfortable with him, and there was no earthly reason why she should! Every time she found herself doing something like she'd just done – touching his knee, teasing him, even wanting to kiss him – some inner voice scolded her for not being more on her guard with him. Another part of her insisted that it was fine for her to relax around him – it wasn't as if he'd broken her heart all those years ago. She'd been the one to leave him, to rush out of the room where their tryst had taken place as if her hair was on fire!

She was about to say something, anything to break the silence that had fallen between herself and Sherlock when his father and brother came back into the room. "Any other menial chores you have for me to do, Mother?" Mycroft asked, eyebrow raised in a supercilious manner as he took in the domestic sight before him. "Scrub the floors, dust the high shelves?"

"Stuff it, Mycroft," Sherlock said, just as his mother scolded, "Honestly, is this how you act in front of company?"

Mycroft, if anything, looked even more affronted than his mother. "My nephew is hardly  _company_ , he's family," he said. Before his mother could do more than look pleased at this acknowledgement of kinship, he promptly spoiled the moment by adding, "Oh, of course, you were talking about his mother. My apologies." And he gave Molly a bland smile that spoke volumes about his feelings toward her.

Violet Holmes, it would appear, was having none of that. Before Molly could say anything, before Sherlock could do more than jump to his feet and open his mouth, Mrs. Holmes had marched across the room so that she was standing directly in front of Mycroft. "Mycroft David Holmes!" she exclaimed, cheeks red with anger. "I know I raised you better than that!"

Molly had also stood up, and Wills was close to by her side, looking uncertainly from person to person. He might not have picked up on the nuances of Mycroft's deliberate insult, but he certainly couldn't miss the fact that a family fight was happening right in front of his eyes.

"Hmm, seems dinner is likely to be delayed," Robert said as his wife literally grabbed Mycroft by the tie and dragged him, protesting under his breath, into the kitchen. "Perhaps Molly and Wills would like to see the gardens?"

Sherlock hesitated, looking very much as if he would rather be in the kitchen with his mother, but nodded as his father gave him a sharp look. "Yes, the gardens," he said instead, gesturing towards the front door. "My mother is justifiably proud of them."

"Sounds lovely," Molly murmured. She grabbed Wills' hand and practically dragged him after her as she hurried to catch Sherlock up.

Instead of stopping to actually admire any of the truly beautiful plantings, however, Sherlock merely strode through the flower beds, making his way toward the low stone wall and the wooden gate leading out to a meadow bordered by a thick stand of trees. "Sherlock, wait, where are we going?" Molly called after him. Wills had let go her hand as soon as the door shut behind them but remained by her side, his expression troubled.

"Just to the trees, there's a creek that's usually crawling with turtles this time of year," Sherlock said over his shoulder. When he saw how far behind him the other two were, he stopped and waited for them to catch him up, then continued at a more leisurely pace. "Brought over here by an ancestor, for some reason they've managed to thrive…"

When Wills made no response other than a grunt, he pursed his lips before changing subjects to the one that was clearly bothering his son. "Er, Wills, what your uncle said back there…"

"He doesn't like Mum." Wills mouth was set in a grim line, and Molly recognized the storm brewing behind his brown eyes. "He said she's not family, she's company, and that means he doesn't like her."

"Wills," Molly said, stopping and gently taking his hand. He glowered at the ground before reluctantly meeting her eyes. She dropped to one knee to better meet his gaze. "Darling, you know what families are like; everyone doesn't always get on. You and Louisa fight all the time, and so do Aunt Grace and I." She took a deep breath before continuing. "And besides, Mycroft's right. I'm not family, not to him. Your Dad and I are just starting to get to know each other again after a long time apart; it's not like I'm his girlfriend or anything, yeah? You understand?"

Wills kicked sullenly at a clump of grass while Sherlock stood silently behind him. "Yeah," he finally said. "I guess. It was still rotten for him to say it that way, though."

"Yeah, it was," Molly agreed. She tried never to lie or sugar-coat things when talking to her son, although of course she'd never told him the real details of her brief relationship with his father the night he was conceived. "But we're still new to him, and I suppose he doesn't expect to have to deal with me very much." She tried a smile. "After all, once everyone gets to know each other, it's very likely your father will bring you here for visits without me."

Wills gave Sherlock a sideways glance. "I suppose so," he said, not sounding entirely convinced. Then he shrugged. "Can we go see the creek now? I really like turtles," he confessed, speaking to his father.

"Yes, they can be fascinating," Sherlock agreed. He smiled, although to Molly's eyes it seemed a bit forced, and reached out to ruffle Wills' dark curls. "It's just past that line of trees, the oaks about six hundred meters from here. See them?" Wills nodded, and Sherlock gave his shoulders a gentle push. "See how quickly you can get there, I'll time you."

With a glance back at his mother for permission, Wills immediately took off, his long legs pumping furiously as he bounded across the meadow.

Molly and Sherlock followed the same path, sharing smiles at his exuberance. "He really does like turtles, he wasn't just saying that," Molly said after a moment's silence. "He's been begging me to let him keep one for ages. I told him not until we buy a house and don't have to deal with landlords."

"My brother's an arse." Sherlock's words startled Molly; she'd not expected the topic of Mycroft's rudeness to be brought up once she'd settled things with Wills.

"Well, he doesn't know me," she reasoned, trying to be fair-minded even though she was justifiably annoyed at her son's uncle. Violet was handling it and Molly fully intended to let it go. After all, she reminded herself, she'd already decided that he could be as rude to her as he liked as long as he was good to Wills.

"No, nor does he want to. He's just as rude to John, but that's what happens when you think about other people as so many goldfish."

"Oh, that's such a sad way to be!" Molly exclaimed, earning a puzzled look from Sherlock. "To be so isolated, so lonely," she tried to explain.

Sherlock nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose it is," he mused. "Although I doubt very much he'd agree with you. He doesn't think caring is an advantage," he added, and Molly shook her head and sighed.

"Well, I suppose I won't take it personally then, if he's that way with other people. Are his friends like that, do they feel that way?"

Sherlock snorted. "Friends? My brother doesn't have  _friends_ , Molly. He has family and work colleagues and that PA of his who always has her nose stuck in her Blackberry. He's far too busy for anything as boring and mundane as 'friends'."

"What does he do?"

"He works for – no, he IS – the British government," Sherlock replied. Molly had no idea what he meant, but let it go. The two of them had reached the trees and could hear Wills delighted shouts over the gentle tinkling of the rivulet a few meters ahead.

"What about you?" Molly asked. It was something she'd wondered but hadn't broached with Sherlock; it seemed too personal, nothing to do with him being Wills' father, but she was genuinely curious. She put Mycroft out of her mind as she glanced up at the younger Holmes brother. The one she would dearly like to get to know better. Much, much better.

"What about me?" Sherlock repeated, a crinkle of confusion manifesting between his eyes.

"Friends, what about your friends?" she asked. "You talk about John and Inspector Lestrade, but what about your other friends?"

"I don't have any," he said simply, and Molly felt her heart breaking a bit. How could anyone live like that, with only a few friends and a brother that wasn't exactly the sentimental type? Then she thought about how lovely Violet and Robert Holmes were, how fondly Sherlock spoke of his landlady, Mrs. Hudson – who, it would appear, was as eager to meet Wills as Sherlock's own parents had been! – and realized that it might be a small circle of friends and family, but it was a close one. Actually, if she thought about, they weren't that different, she and Sherlock; she had Grace and her mum and Grace's family, she had her best friend Meena and a few other women from uni she'd kept in touch with and met up with for drinks once in a while, but she was hardly the most sociable person on the planet. "It's all good," she murmured, half to herself, but of course Sherlock heard her. Heard her, and picked up on the nuances with that uncanny ability of his to zoom in on the tiniest details and correctly deduce things from them.

"Yes, it is," he said. "I used to think that alone protected me, kept me safe, but then John Watson came into my life, and now you and Wills and I'm finally beginning to understand that sentiment isn't actually a chemical defect found on the losing side."

"Well, you're right, now you have Wills. And me, you can have me if you want me… Oh!" she exclaimed, fluttering her fingers over her lips, flustered by her verbal faux pas. "Sorry! I didn't mean…what I meant was…"

Sherlock, far from being offended, appeared amused; he was chuckling as he peered down at her. "No, it's fine, I understand what you meant." He stepped closer, pinning her with his gaze as he reached out and brushed his fingers across the back of her hand. "Just remember, you can have me if you want me as well." The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled, and Molly gaped up at him, spellbound. He lowered his head, she laid her hand on his chest, and just as their lips were about to meet…Wills shouted for them.

They startled apart, blinking as the spell was broken, both swiveling their heads to see what their son wanted. He was standing on the banks of the creek, hands raised over his head, holding a rather large turtle in both hands. "Look! I found one, Dad! Isn't it brilliant?"

Dad. It was the first time he'd called Sherlock that, rather than by his name as they'd agreed to do. Molly heard Sherlock's breath catch, and watched as he blinked rapidly, as if trying to process what he'd just heard. He started to speak, stopped, cleared his throat, then tried again. "That's…yes, that's fantastic, let's take a look, shall we?" With a single backwards glance at Molly, he walked over to check out the turtle.

Molly, for her part, simply stood there, trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Sherlock Holmes had almost kissed her – and she'd been more than willing to let him.


	10. Dinner With The Holmses Part 3

Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was he thinking? He  _wasn't_  thinking, that was the problem, or at least not with his brain. How many times had he berated John Watson for thinking with his prick, and here he was doing the exact same thing? Just because he could bring up every memory of that night in excruciating detail; just because Molly was turning out to be more than simply a long-ago one-night stand and the mother of his child, didn't mean that he should want anything more from her than that. Certainly not sex; he'd given up on that aspect of his life at the same time he'd given up drugs, when he'd barely graduated college because of such distractions.

Of course, it would hardly be more of a distraction than sudden fatherhood, would it, if he were to ask Molly out on a…to have chips with him sometime? There was that chip shop, the one where he'd helped the owner put up some shelves (literally, no 'wink, wink, nudge, nudge' about it!) a few years back and who, in gratitude, always gave Sherlock extra portions. Or Angelo; he'd be beside himself if Sherlock brought someone round for dinner at his restaurant. He'd been devastated when he learned that Sherlock and John were just friends and flatmates, although he'd gotten over it cheerfully enough once John started bringing his own dates there for dinner (if the relationship lasted more than a few weeks, of course, which so few of them did). Like that nurse he was seeing now, Mary something-or-other, the blonde with the sharp sense of humor. Seeing how well she and John got on, being reminded this very night by his parents of how long-lasting and satisfying a marriage could be, made him wonder…

"No!"

Sherlock realized that everyone was staring at him – his parents, Mycroft (with a sneer on his lips, which had only been absent during his half-hearted apology to Molly for his earlier rudeness), Wills…Molly. He'd stood up and practically shouted the word aloud, so lost in his thoughts that he'd forgotten he wasn't back at Baker Street, with only John to disturb. Blinking rapidly, he slunk back into his seat. "Sorry," he muttered. "Just going over a case in my mind, got distracted, realized I'd been chasing after a cold lead."

He darted a glance at Molly, whose expression had turned neutral, then to Wills, who was – grinning? Yes, definitely grinning, nearly a smirk as he turned to his mother and said, "See? I'm not the only one, Mum! Dad does it too, just kind of blurts things out when he's thinking too hard!"

'Dad.' He'd called him Dad again, this time in front of his parents and Mycroft. His father cleared his throat in a suspicious manner, and was blinking as rapidly as Sherlock had just done, and his mother was openly sniffling and Mycroft wasn't scowling – he'd damned well better not be! – but his smile was pained, at best. Sherlock was so caught up in the whirlwind emotions of being called 'Dad' so unselfconsciously by Wills that he nearly missed what his son was actually saying. But when he did, he smiled and straightened back up in his chair; another point of commonality between them, another personality trait he'd somehow passed on in spite of the ten years they'd spent apart.

Although Molly gave him a few odd looks after that, the rest of the meal passed in relative peace. Sherlock remained sunk in his thoughts for most of it, making sure not to delve too deeply into his mind palace to miss anything Wills said – or Molly. Mycroft he did his best to ignore, not difficult since he said hardly two words through the meal, mostly along the lines of "please pass the butter". He'd apparently taken his mother's scolding to heart, and was finally practicing the 'if you can't say anything nice, say nothing' creed she was so dedicated to.

Teas and coffees were drunk in the sitting room, more family stories were exchanged, Mycroft kept surreptitiously glancing at his mobile as if desperate for some international crisis to spare him further domesticity – and Sherlock realized with a start that he hadn't so much as looked at his own watch, not even once. A break from habit his parents refrained from commenting on, but was sure to be obliquely mentioned to him by his brother at some future point. No doubt as commentary on how inappropriate and distracting his interest in Molly Hooper was.

Ah well, maybe one day Mycroft would finally understand that other people weren't actually goldfish, and that some relationships were worth pursuing.

He froze again, thankfully while everyone else was distracted by Wills' enthusiastic reenactment of some football moves he'd seen on the telly. Why did his mind insist on viewing Molly as someone other than the mother of his child? What was wrong with him? Was it perhaps some primitive association, deep in the reptile part of his brain, instinct attempting to override intellect?

Or, a voice in his mind that sound like a peevish John Watson pointed out, was it simply that the great Sherlock Holmes actually liked her and wanted to get to know her better?

Points to ponder, but not now. Not when Wills was laughing and his mother was rolling her eyes but grinning; not when his parents were obviously as much in love with his son as he was. Even Mycroft had a grudging look of interest on his face as Wills showed off his deductive reasoning by explaining how he'd analyzed the players' moves and predicted (correctly, Molly confirmed) the outcome of the match less than ten minutes into the first…quarter? half? Whatever. Unimportant; only the parts that pertained to his son mattered (although Sherlock suspected that he would have to start retaining football information since his son was clearly so passionate about it; he made a mental note to quiz John on the subject when he got home).

Around nine o'clock Molly made noises about getting back to London, much to Wills (very vocal) disappointment. She shushed him with a pointed look; he fell silent but jutted his lower lip out in a pout that Sherlock knew looked very much like his own expression when in a strop. He cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention, and before he could talk himself out of it, said, "If you don't mind, Molly, could I catch a ride back with you? I was going to spend the night since my father was so kind as to drive me here, but I've just remembered that I'm supposed to go over a case with Lestrade first thing in the morning and I'd rather not roust my parents out of bed at the crack of dawn if I don't have to."

He ignored Mycroft's smirk and raised eyebrow, just fixed his gaze on Molly and…hoped. A very un-Sherlockian reaction, John would joke, but true. It wasn't planned, but he was reluctant to let the evening end so soon. A ride home would give him a chance to spend more time with his son…and, of course, his son's mother.

After a quick glance at Wills' hopeful face, Molly smiled and nodded. "Of course, it's no trouble at all."

Ten minutes later they were in the car and headed Londonward, with Wills in the backseat chattering excitedly, Molly driving, and Sherlock wondering what the hell he should do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and comments. I hope you're all still enjoying the story!


	11. Driving Mr. Holmes

Molly wasn't flustered to have Sherlock in the car with her. Of course she wasn't; it was simply a convenience, them being able to drop him at his flat. And of course it meant he got to spend more time with Wills, which was the point of their reconnection, after all. The two of them were back on the turtle discussion (being a city girl she'd had no idea how rare turtles were on the British isles) and she was trying to concentrate on the dark motorway, but her mind insisted on reliving the almost-kiss at the creek. Well, she  _thought_  it was an almost-kiss, but what if she was wrong?

Such worrisome thoughts carried her for the next twenty minutes or so, until gradually Wills' questions and comments started coming further and further apart; when Sherlock finally twisted round so he was facing fully forward in his seat next to hers, she knew it was only because her over-stimulated son had drifted off to sleep in that easy way kids could manage and adults could only envy.

Of course, no longer having Wills to interact with meant Molly would actually have to find something to say to Sherlock, which suddenly seemed an impossible task. What could she say? What if he brought up That Moment? Or worse; what if she did and he didn't want to talk about it?  _Should_  they even talk about it?

"You're nervous, why are you nervous?"

She glanced over at him, wondering what made him ask; the question must have been obvious even in the split-second before she returned her attention to the road, because he elaborated: "You're clenching the wheel much more tightly than you were while Wills and I were talking, and you're nibbling at your lower lip. Chewing on it, more like. Your breathing sped up, and you've shifted in your seat four times. It's a bit dark to tell, but I'm confident that if it were daylight I'd see your complexion gone a shade or two paler than normal. Conclusion: you're nervous, when you weren't nervous before. Why?"

Molly let out a nervous titter, then clamped her mouth shut and tried to turn it into a careless laugh instead. The result was an unflattering snort with a bit of choke behind it, and she dearly wished she could just sink into the seat and disappear. Or better yet, go back in time and tell Sherlock she couldn't possibly give him a ride home, sorry, some other time perhaps. Well aware that he was waiting for her to give an actual response, she opened her mouth, shut it, then opened it again – and blurted out the very last thing she meant to say. "Down by the creek, what was that?"

There was silence from the passenger seat; Molly stole another glance, but Sherlock's expression was impossible to read in the dark. She wished desperately for the ability to take back the words; it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him never mind, when he spoke. "I take it you don't mean the turtles my ecologically-minded ancestor imported from the American colonies sometime in my family's distant past?"

His dry tone brought a true snort of laughter from her lips and helped diffuse the tension somewhat. She relaxed her death-grip on the steering wheel and risked a third look over at him. He'd leaned closer to her, and she could see his features somewhat better in the light of the dashboard. The flashes of the occasional headlights from car driving the opposite direction made his eyes glitter, and she shivered, forcing her eyes back on the road, consciously having to remind herself that it wasn't just the two of them in the vehicle.

Remembering Wills' presence helped steady her; eyes straight ahead, she finally answered Sherlock's question. "No, not talking about turtles."

She heard him sigh, felt him withdrawing back to his own seat, heard the tap of his fingers drumming on…something. His thighs, maybe, or the handle of the door. "It was…a mistake."

Molly sucked in a breath, but before she could say anything, before she could do more than feel her heart give an unhappy lurch, he rushed on. "It's too soon for anything like that between us, isn't it? We've only just reconnected, to rush into anything just now would be foolish. Especially if it doesn't…you don't know me very well yet, Molly." There was something akin to desperation in his voice as he spoke. "You don't know how I can be; you should ask John, I'm moody and difficult and have been known to be cruel when I'm bored. My mind is like a racecar, always revving its engine, never slowing and I need stimulation or I feel like I might go mad. That's why the drugs…although I quickly learned they don't do the trick for very long. But it was…hard to stop once I started. Rehab twice and even now, when I'm bored or when I feel like my mind is about to burst out of my head, the urge is still there."

He fell silent as abruptly as he'd begun speaking, but Molly waited a few long seconds before responding. Just in case. "You're right, it's too soon," she said quietly, although it wasn't at all what she wanted to say. She wanted to say to hell with 'too soon' or going slow, but the third occupant of the car shifted and gave a soft snort in his sleep and her practical side overrode her romantic side. She had a ten-year-old son to think of, and if she and Sherlock fell back into bed or even went on a date and it went pear shaped, Wills was the one who'd be hurt the most. "We both…I think we both want something," she continued as Sherlock remained silent. "Don't we? Do we?"

"I…yes," he said. "I think we do. But you're right; we can't do anything that might spoil things for Wills. For our son."

"So if we do decide to, to see each other um, socially," Molly started, then hesitated. She risked a glance at Sherlock, to find that he was tapping his fingers on his knees and staring down at the movements as if fascinated by them. "If we wanted to…to date or something, it wouldn't be right away."

"No, of course not," Sherlock agreed quickly, but Molly could have sworn there was a flash of something like disappointment in his eyes, briefly revealed by the oncoming headlights of a car driving in the opposite direction to them. "But if we did decide to do anything like that, just remember: I don't have a lot of, erm, experience. I mean sex, yes, of course, but not recently. But dating, relationships…never actually was very successful at that. Gave it up when I gave up drugs."

That was a heartbreaking confession to hear from a man in his thirties. "No one in your life since then at all?" she asked.

She glanced over again, saw his silhouette briefly as he turned toward his window. "Nope." He popped the p but it didn't cover the flat finality of the word.

"I only had one serious boyfriend," Molly found herself confessing. "The one I broke up with right before we…before you and I…" She gave a small, self-conscious laugh. "And after Wills,, well you know I never dated once he came along. So we're rather in the same boat, aren't we? Not a lot of experience with all…this."

"No, I suppose not – here, take the next exit, it'll get us into London quicker," he instructed. "Closer to Baker Street."

Molly did as he…well, 'asked' wasn't the right word, since it was more like a command, but she took the next exit, trusting his directions even though she'd programmed their destination into her satnav. When the computer voice didn't chime in, she realized Sherlock must have turned it off at some point. Seeing no point in scolding him about it, she kept silent, but heard him give a chuckle at her slightly exasperated huff of breath.

The conversation remained impersonal from then on, until she came to a stop in front of the building housing his flat. "221B Baker Street," she said lightly, deciding to risk a joke. "That'll be £15, and don't forget to tip the driver!"

Oh, she wasn't imagining the wince he gave as he undid his seatbelt. "Molly, don't make jokes; Wills said you were terrible at them and I see he wasn't exaggerating."

"Yes, well, seeing that he gets his lack of a sense of humor from you, I'm not surprised," she snarked, startling another chuckle out of him. "Should I wake him so you can say good-bye?"

Sherlock glanced into the backseat, where Wills was huddled over the central armrest, then shook his head. "No, let him sleep. Tell him I'll text him tomorrow." Then he turned to face her, smiling at her. "Thanks for the lift, and the conversation. It was…exactly what we needed to tell each other."

"Yeah, it was," Molly agreed, looking back at him. "It's the smart thing, not rushing into any kind of a…"

She never finished the sentence because suddenly she and Sherlock had lunged across the central console, his hands cradling the sides of her face as their lips crashed together. The fury of the kiss took her by surprise, but only for the split second it took for her brain to entirely shut down as she lost herself in the pleasure of finally kissing him again. Ten years might have passed but she would later swear it felt exactly the same; the way he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, the feel of his hands on her face, his fingers threading her hair, everything exactly the same.

Well, not exactly the same; no smell or taste of marijuana, no alcohol fuzzing her brain, everything in sharp, glorious relief as her eyes fluttered closed and she groped for his shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

A sound from the backseat snapped them out of the spell under which they'd fallen; Wills mumbling something in his sleep, bringing them back to reality. Molly's breathing was uneven as she pulled her hands and face away from Sherlock's body, but she was rather pleased to note that his wasn't any too steady, either. "Um, I think you should" she started to say, just as Sherlock blurted out, "I should go, you need to get Wills home to his own bed."

"Yeah," Molly replied, nodding nervously. She watched as Sherlock left, neither of them saying another word as he carefully shut the door and crossed the small stretch of pavement to his front door. He paused on the doorstep, turned back as if to say something – or wave, maybe? – but turned back almost immediately and unlocked the door. He disappeared inside without looking back, and Molly drove off, her mind reeling as she wondered how they would handle their next meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for your lovely comments!


	12. Baker Street Part 1 - A Touch of Drama

That next meeting, as it turned out, would be put off for nearly a week while Sherlock and John Watson (whom she'd had yet to meet) were out of the country on a case. She heard from Sherlock exactly twice during that time: once to apologize for leaving so abruptly, and once to assure her that the bullet (!) had only grazed his arm and that John had taken care of it.

At least he was a bit better at keeping in touch with Wills, texting him at least once a day with interesting but relatively harmless matters regarding the case (nothing about being shot at, thank God) and turtles and the elder Holmeses and…beekeeping?

At any rate, Molly was reassured after insisting that Wills show her the messages from his father that Sherlock hadn't said anything disturbing or inappropriate to their son. She wasn't sure how she felt knowing that Sherlock had been shot, even if he wasn't seriously injured; the true nature of his chosen (created) career hadn't really hit her until then.

When he did phone to tell her he was back in London, it was to invite her and Wills to dinner at his flat, to meet his friend John Watson, and their landlady, Mrs. Hudson.

Wills was practically bouncing with excitement as they arrived at his father's flat, and Molly had to rather sternly remind him that he was NOT to touch anything without permission, nor was he to bound around like a puppy off its leash. "Your father does his work from there, William, he takes cases and meets clients. So you need to treat it as if you were visiting me at St. Barts, got it?"

He nodded vigorously, waiting twitchily by her side as she rang the bell. The door was opened almost immediately by smiling, seventy-ish woman with short hair and a smile that was as wide as Wills' at his most enthusiastic. "Oh, you must be Molly and Wills, I'm Mrs. Hudson, so very happy to meet you! Come in, come in, Sherlock's upstairs and John is just on his way back from the clinic, he should be here not too much longer."

She asked them about themselves and offered Wills his choice of biscuits after he'd said hello to his father, which made him even more enthusiastic than he already was. Molly resigned herself to an over-stimulated son who would forget everything she'd told him, and just hoped that Sherlock would make it clear if he was touching anything in the flat that he shouldn't be.

Wills bee-lined for his father, hugging him enthusiastically and launching immediately into a description of a rugby match he'd seen earlier in the day. Sherlock appeared enraptured by his son's story, but Molly could see the stiff way he held his left arm and the pain he tried to keep out of his expression when Wills tugged on his hand in order to drag him over to the mantel. There was a skull sat on one end and it was clearly that which had caught his attention. "Is that real? It looks real, Mum, look! I think it's a real skull!"

"It is, and his name is Billy, a very good friend of mine, that skull," Sherlock replied, even as Mrs. Hudson clucked her disapproval. "Oh, come now, Hudders, the boy has me as a father and a Specialist Registrar who works in a morgue as a mother, surely you don't think he's going to be put off by a bit of defleshed bone, do you?"

"Wills has been begging me to allow him to watch an autopsy sometime," Molly admitted when Mrs. Hudson turned to her for support. She gave a half-shrug and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry!"

Sherlock's landlady pursed her lips, then unexpectedly bestowed a radiant smile on Molly before turning back to her tenant. "Sherlock Holmes, I swear, if you let this lovely woman get away again, I'll personally see to it that you regret it!"

Molly blushed and ducked her head, then nodded permission when Mrs. Hudson asked if Wills could help her get the roast out of the oven - a blatant attempt to leave Sherlock and Molly alone for a few minutes, even as she patted the dodgy hip she was using as an excuse. It took the promise of a couple of chocolate biscuits to dislodge Wills from his father's side, but he very politely offered to help Mrs. Hudson with the tricky bits, and they headed down the stairs, leaving Molly and Sherlock alone together.

"So, um, that's Mrs. Hudson," she said, even as she mentally berated herself for stating the obvious.

"Don't mind her, she gets a bit over-excited," Sherlock said dismissively as he carefully replaced the skull - Billy, had he called it? – back on the mantel.

He seemed a bit distant, Molly noted with a flash of disappointment that she did her best to ignore. After all, hadn't they both agreed that they should take things slow...right before snogging the hell out of each other while Wills slept on in blissful ignorance? So that was all that was happening; Sherlock was showing good sense and Molly needed to follow his lead.

That resolve lasted about five seconds after he turned to look at her; his expression was carefully neutral but there was something about his eyes that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She took a step forward, her lips parted as she groped after something to say – and then he was right there in front of her, pulling her close, one hand tangling itself in her hair and the other wrapped around her waist as his mouth covered hers in a hungry kiss.

She kissed him back just as hungrily, her hands pressed to his broad chest, everything else forgotten but the feel of his lips on hers. His tongue slid into her mouth and she accepted it greedily, moaning a bit as he pulled her more firmly against his body. Just as he lowered his hand from her waist to the curve of her bum, the sound of a slamming door brought them back to reality. Molly pulled away from him with a gasp, staring wide-eyed and wondering if her pupils were as blown back as his were. The blue-green of his irises was a mere ring accentuating the central darkness, and his lips were red, wet and decidedly kiss-swollen.

"John's here," Sherlock said, a bit hoarsely, and Molly nodded, fussing with her hair and her clothes, making sure her blouse wasn't askew and that her skirt wasn't wrinkled. For his part, Sherlock straightened his jacket and ruffled his hair a bit, then moved to stand by the mantel while Molly inched her way over to the desk on the pretense of placing her handbag on the one clear spot it boasted.

As soon as the door was pushed open she offered up a bright smile to Sherlock's friend. "Hi, I'm Molly, you must be John, so nice to finally meet you!" she exclaimed, moving forward with her hand extended.

He clasped it warmly in his and smiled just as brightly at her. "Yeah, John Watson, I promise I'm nowhere near as thick as he makes me out to be."

Sherlock harrumped – there really was no other way to describe it – and crossed his arms. "Yes, well, now you two have met so you can stop nagging me, John." Without taking a breath he turned to Molly and continued, "He's worse than Mrs. Hudson sometimes, always after me to eat and sleep and introduce him to my gir...to, uh, you and Wills." His cheeks flushed a bit at the verbal faux pas, and Molly felt her own cheeks heating up.

John, on the other merely looked from one to the other with a huge smirk on his lips, his blue eyes flashing with glee. With a raised eyebrow, he deliberately turned to Sherlock. "Anything you want to tell me, mate?"

"Not remotely," Sherlock snapped, turning away quickly.

With a quick glance at Molly, John sidled up to Sherlock and stage-whispered, "You might want to wipe away the lipstick before Mrs. Hudson comes back upstairs."

His smirk was positively devilish as Sherlock automatically raised one hand to his mouth. Said mouth turned down in a scowl as he darted his gaze over at Molly...whom he belatedly realized wasn't wearing any lipstick. And who appeared to be attempting to hold back...what expression exactly? Oh, a smile? She thought it was funny, that John was taking the piss with him? Unexpected; he'd have thought she'd be mortified by John's reaction.

"I'll just, um, go see how Wills and Mrs. Hudson are doing," she said quickly, hurrying down the stairs and leaving the two flatmates alone - but not before Sherlock heard a muffled giggle escape her lips. Something to ponder... _after_  he'd dealt with his idiotic flatmate.

Once she was gone, John's playful demeanor transformed into something far more serious. "Sherlock, I know you said you wanted to get to know Molly better, but I didn't realize you wanted to take up where you two left off! D'you think that's a good idea, considering?" He gestured at the framed photo of Wills that now held pride of place on the cluttered surface of the desk. "You two have only reconnected recently and you're already snogging her? In your flat? While your son is downstairs with Mrs. Hudson?"

"Would you rather I was snogging her while they were both up here? Give me  _some_ credit, John," Sherlock said, knowing even as the words left his mouth that it wasn't what his friend meant.

"Not what I meant," John said sternly. Right on cue. "And you bloody well know it. So what, exactly, are your intentions?"

"Good God, John, you're not her father!" Sherlock turned away sharply, his fingers beating a nervous tattoo on Billy's  _os frontale_. He raked the fingers of his other hand through his hair, further disordering it. "We're both consenting adults. Whatever we decide to do in our private lives is frankly no one else's business. I don't see what you're complaining about," he added crossly. "I'm doing exactly what you said I should do, getting to know my son and his mother better."

"Get to know them, yes. Manipulate the poor woman just so you can be sure she'll let you have a relationship with Wills, no," John said sternly.

Sherlock's eyes glittered angrily. "Is that really what you think I'm doing? That I'm capable of doing something like that to the mother of my child?"

"Janine Hawkins," John said simply, and Sherlock deflated a bit.

"That was for a case," he mumbled.

"You should count yourself lucky that woman didn't plaster your photos all over the tabloids like she threatened to when she found out you were faking the relationship just to get into her bosses' office," John said.

"I'm not using Molly to try to get closer to my son, if that's what you're thinking," Sherlock snapped.

John raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I never said you were, mate. I just…I know how genuinely excited you were when you found out you had a son, but for God's sake, what happened to taking things slow with Molly? To getting to know one another? Do you even know anything about her? And don't," he added quickly, "rattle off a list of things you've deduced about her. That's not what I'm asking and you know it."

Sherlock looked down his nose at his best friend, reminding said best friend very much of the eldest Holmes brother. "I," Sherlock announced dramatically, "don't need to justify myself to you or to anyone else. Except Molly. And Wills. That's it."

He turned on his heel and marched out of the flat, leaving John scratching his head and silently praying that Sherlock wasn't rushing into something he wasn't ready for.


	13. Baker Street Part 2 - A Touch of Humor

Dinner went very well, all things considered. Wills ate like a starving hyena, which led John to joke about how he clearly hadn't inherited his father's eating habits. Mrs. Hudson simply beamed approvingly at every bite the boy took, while Molly did her best to remind him that he was, in fact, a human being and not  _actually_ a wild animal.

Afterwards they returned to the sitting room for coffee and dessert, an absolutely smashing apple crumble that Mrs. Hudson had baked and which everyone praised. John was in his chair, Mrs. Hudson was in Sherlock's, and Sherlock was sat on the sofa with Molly on one side and Wills on the other. All in all a cozy domestic picture, as Sherlock somewhat grumpily commented, that was a bit foreign in the flat.

"Oh, well, if we're disturbing your aesthetic, we can always just…" Molly gestured toward the door and made as if to rise, a teasing smile on her face.

Sherlock's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, unceremoniously hauling her back down. "No, it's fine," he said, darting a look at John that practically dared him to comment.

"We could do with a bit of domestic tranquility around here," was all he did say, in a mild tone utterly belied by the sparkle of his eyes. "Course, having a ten-year-old tearing about won't exactly be the definition of tranquility - still, it'll make a change from the usual ten-year-old I have to deal with!" He tilted his head toward Sherlock in an exaggerated motion, and Wills and Molly both giggled. Mrs. Hudson's smile was positively brilliant. Sherlock sulked a bit, but allowed himself to be pulled back into a good humor by Wills' questions about Billy the skull and how exactly he'd been, as the boy put it, "taken off his body".

Molly was quick to put the kibosh on that particular topic, and they were just getting into a discussion about why there were no turtles in the UK when the door buzzer rang. When Sherlock seemed determined to ignore it, John got to his feet with a sigh. "I'll get it then, shall I?"

"Don't bother," Sherlock said dismissively. "It's no one I want to talk to tonight."

"Is it a client?" Wills asked, eyes lighting up with excitement as John disappeared down the stairs. "Is it for a case?"

"For a case, very likely," Sherlock replied with a sigh. "A client, no. Just an impatient Detective Inspector, I recognize his style of buzzer-jabbing. Lestrade will just have to wait till tomorrow to utilize my expertise." Wills' face dropped in disappointment as his father continued speaking. "If John had half a brain, he'd have already told him that. However, judging by the fact that there are two sets of footsteps clomping up the stairs, he hasn't. Sorry," he added, looking at Molly. "I definitely told him no cases tonight."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell him why," John said as he reentered the sitting room. He glowered at Sherlock. "Nice of you to tell him about your son. Oh, wait, you didn't."

The man who followed him into the flat was in his late 40s, with a head of silvering brown hair cut short and an attractive smile, which he flashed at everyone as he came to a stop by John's side. "Sorry for the home invasion, folks, but since idiot features here -" he nodded at Sherlock, who sighed and rolled his eyes "- didn't tell me  _why_ he was unavailable, well, here I am."

"Hi, I'm Wills, this is my mum Molly and are you really a police detective? Do you have a badge or a gun? Can I see?" He was perched on the edge of the sofa, the eager questions spilling from his lips before Molly could stop him.

DI Lestrade's smile had faltered a bit at the sight of Sherlock's son, and Molly knew it was because of the strong resemblance between the two. Everyone reacted that way at first, especially when taken unawares as he had been. "Wills, don't be rude," she said reprovingly as she rose to her feet and stretched out her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Detective Inspector."

"Call me Greg," he said with a return of the dazzling smile. "Sorry for the gawking, it's just he, well, you know." He gave an awkward laugh.

"Looks so much like his dad, yes," Molly agreed with a smile.

"Sorry, you must be sick of hearing that by now."

"Yes, she most certainly is," Sherlock cut in impatiently. "Now that you've seen with your own eyes the evidence that I've successfully reproduced, do feel free to leave. I'll take a look at whatever case it is you need my help with tomorrow."

"Nice to see you again, Mrs. Hudson," the DI said, ignoring Sherlock and giving the older woman a friendly nod. She smiled and nodded back at him before offering him a cup of coffee. "Ta, I could use one," he said, running a hand through his hair. He nodded his thanks to John when he pulled one of the kitchen chairs into the sitting room, ignoring Sherlock's growing scowl as he sat down.

If Molly didn't know any better, she'd have thought Sherlock actually disliked the man. But by the way John and Mrs. Hudson were acting, this was just the way he always behaved. Certainly Greg seemed perfectly comfortable as he asked about the landlady's hip and praised her coffee making skills.

Once it was clear the detective inspector had no intention of leaving, Sherlock appeared to resign himself to the inevitable. Although he folded his arms over his chest and glowered while Lestrade drank his coffee, Molly caught a glimpse of what looked like a proud smile as Wills plied Lestrade with questions, all of which the older man willingly answered.

However, she also knew what the occasional glances he shot her way meant; he was curious to know about her relationship with Sherlock. Well, so was she, truth be told, especially after the kisses they seemed to keep trading. She was drawn to him despite her better intentions. God, her life had been so uncomplicated once upon a time; what she wouldn't give some days for it be like that again!

Then she looked over at her smiling son, caught another glimpse of Sherlock's answering smile, and knew she wouldn't trade her life for anything in the world. Whatever might or might not happen between her and her father's son was an unknown quantity, so she decided to just let it go and see where life took them. She needed to stop fretting about the future and just focus on the present; she was enjoying this evening, meeting so many people who clearly meant a lot to Sherlock, marveling at how comfortable she felt with them all.

It was so strange, not feeling like an outsider in such a small, obviously tight-knit group; strange, but nice. She laughed at something Greg said, laughed again at Sherlock's sour expression, drank her coffee and settled in for a thoroughly enjoyable rest of the evening.

Two hours later Wills was trying to hide his yawns. "All right, time to get home," Molly said, rising to her feet. She started to carry the empty coffee cups to the kitchen, only to be stopped by Mrs. Hudson, who insisted on taking care of it herself. Molly coaxed Wills into his jacket and said her good-byes to Greg and John, who'd also risen to their feet. "It was lovely to meet everyone," Molly said sincerely. "Thank you so much for having us over."

"Do I get my own room here?"

Wills' question startled her; her eyes flew up to meet Sherlock's, who was standing behind their son. "Um, we really haven't talked about it yet," she started to say, only to be interrupted by Sherlock.

"Of course you do, we'll sort it out by the end of the school term," he said firmly, never removing his gaze from Molly's. She smiled and nodded, seeing him relax a bit when she didn't take him to task for answering without consulting her. He was right, after all; even if they hadn't discussed it yet, of course Wills should have a room here. "And I'm certain my parents - your grandparents - are already busy converting my old bedroom into a place for you to sleep over."

"Awesome!" Wills turned and hugged his father, then did the same for John and Mrs. Hudson, hesitating only a second before offering Greg his hand. The DI shook it solemnly, but with a tickled expression on his face.

"Let me walk you to your car," Sherlock said, handing Molly her coat and handbag. "Do feel free to gossip about me behind my back," he called over his shoulder to the others as he headed for the stairs.

As soon as they reached the pavement, Wills realized he'd forgotten his iPod and dashed back up the stairs to retrieve it. While they waited for him, Molly and Sherlock made awkward small talk for about thirty seconds. Then he reached out and took her hand, she stepped closer, and suddenly they were kissing again.

They broke apart as soon as they heard Wills clattering back down the stairs. "We've got to stop doing this," Molly said in a low voice. "We're supposed to be taking things slow!"

Sherlock shrugged. "Sorry, never really been my style."

"What's not your style?" Wills asked, looking up at each of his parents in innocent confusion.

Sherlock reached out and ruffled his hair. "Being patient," he replied.

"Me neither," Wills confessed. "It's not fair when people make you wait for stuff, even when they know you want it right away."

Molly avoided Sherlock's gaze, knowing he'd have a smirk on his lips. "Time to go, Wills," she said. "Tell your father good-night."

"Night, Dad!"

Molly watched as Wills hugged his father again, a warm feeling settling over her as Sherlock hugged him back. The warm feeling turned downright heated when she met Sherlock's gaze. He was looking at her as if she was the only water in a miles-wide desert.

She swallowed hard and turned her head, wondering how long it would be before the two of them gave into the inevitable and once again tumbled into bed together.

Because taking things slow? Obviously  _not_ going to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kind comments, they are much appreciated!


	14. Whirlwind Romance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the shortness of this chapter, but it was the one that gave the E rated version of this story it's E rating. :)

It happened the night Wills had his first sleepover at his grandparents' house. Molly and Sherlock drove in her car with their son chattering excitedly to them the entire time about all the things he and Sherlock's parents were going to do that weekend. Molly and his father would stay for dinner, then head back to London.

It had been three weeks since the dinner at Baker Street, three weeks during which Sherlock and Molly had spent zero time alone together - both a blessing and a curse, at least in Molly's opinion. During that time they'd behaved with complete circumspection, not so much as trading meaningful glances over Wills' head on the few occasions they met. But the growing heat between them was so palpable, the sexual tension so all-encompassing, that it was no surprise when things finally exploded into passion after they said their good-nights and left Wills to enjoy his weekend in the country.

They'd fully intended on driving back to London. At least,  _Molly_ had fully intended on driving back. But when the door to Sherlock's parent's house shut behind them; when they'd seated themselves in her car; when she'd turned to ask him...something she'd long since forgotten...the look in his eyes had stopped the words before she could do more than part her lips. They remained parted in an 'o' of surprise and he'd taken immediate advantage, closing the small gap between them and kissing her like a man starved for the oxygen in her lungs.

Waiting the length of the drive to London seemed impossible after that. Instead they drove to a small inn about twenty minutes away. Once there they barely made it to their room before he had her pressed up against the door, the two of them trading fierce, needy kisses as they fumbled the clothing from each other's bodies. From there it was only a few steps to reach the king-sized bed and tumble onto it together.

It was as amazing as Molly remembered it; Sherlock was just as passionate as he had been in uni, and she was more than happy to show him how much she'd missed being in his arms. Hours later, passion temporarily sated, they fell into sleep, tangled in one another's arms.

She awoke at some point, thirsty and chilled where Sherlock wasn't holding her, but when she tried to get up his arms tightened around her and he nuzzled at her throat. "Stay," he mumbled.

"Thirsty," she said, giving him a quick kiss. He let her go with what felt like a great deal of reluctance, and she could feel his eyes on her as she crossed to the small en suite. She paused at the door, turning to give him a quick smile before entering and shutting the door behind her.

**oOo**

Sherlock rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling and wishing desperate for a cigarette. He had no idea how Molly felt about smoking, but had the vague thought that asking her about it tonight wouldn't be the best timing. Of course, their falling into bed together only six weeks after reconnecting with one another was the epitome of bad timing, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. He only hoped she wouldn't, either, in the cold light of morning. Or was she even now staring at herself in the mirror, wondering what kind of mistake she'd just made?

He'd started to work himself into a panic when the bathroom door clicked open and she reentered the main room. She was still completely naked, drinking thirstily from a glass of water. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled somewhat self-consciously and held the glass up. "Want some?"

"Yes," he replied, never taking his eyes from hers as he stood up and crossed the room. He could tell by the sudden widening of her eyes that she understood very well that he wasn't talking about the water. Their kiss was urgent, desperate, as full of longing as if they hadn't kissed in years rather than hours. He swept her into his arms, glass and all, and kissed her giggles into moans and sighs as he plucked the glass from her hand and placed it on the bedside table. Then he settled her onto the bed, and set about showing her that he was just as eager for her as he had been before.

This time when they reached their mutual completion, instead of being sleepy he felt energized, and he could tell Molly felt the same. She smiled at him as he stroked her hair. "Thirsty again," she said, her voice raspy, her lips kiss-swollen and her expression one of extreme satisfaction.

He groped for the glass, handed it to her then watched as she knelt up, then stood and took the few steps needed to reach the bathroom door. She paused, then glanced down at him with an impish grin. "Shower?"

He didn't need to be asked twice.

The next morning, right on schedule, Molly panicked. Sherlock could see it in her eyes as soon as she opened them and saw him lying next to her. He, of course, had been awake for over an hour, just watching her sleep, enjoying the ridiculously domestic situation - and knowing exactly how she would react. First her eyes widened; then she scrambled upright, holding the sheet to cover her breasts, brushing her tangled hair from her face. "Oh my God," she moaned, "what did we do? I can't believe I...Sherlock, we have to leave, we have to go back to London right now…"

"We have to do no such thing," he said firmly as he reluctantly sat up, allowing the sheet and duvet to fall to his lap. Her eyes wandered down his bare chest before snapping up to his face, her face going a pleasing shade of pink. "Molly, this wasn't a mistake; neither one of us was impaired, it was what we both wanted. So stop panicking."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, never taking her eyes from his. "Right," she said after a minute. "We're both adults, we're both unattached - you are unattached, aren't you?" she asked, panic clearly trying to take over again.

"Not anymore," Sherlock replied, pulling her into his arms for a lingering kiss. "As we've already discussed, I'm rubbish at relationships, but I find I want to try with you, Molly. And I can't imagine you don't feel the same."

"It won't be easy," she said. "We have Wills to think about. What if things don't work out?"

"Then we return to simply co-parenting," he said with a shrug. "And whatever it is that I end up doing to mess things up between us…"

"I might be the one messing things up," Molly objected, but Sherlock shook his head.

"No, the odds are definitely stacked in favor of it being me. The point I'm trying to make is, if I DO mess things up between us, we'll both have to try not to let it affect our son."

Molly nodded slowly. "Agreed." She blew out a breath and gave him a tentative smile. "So. What now?"

"Now," he said as he rolled them so he was on top of her, "we continue exploring the physical part of this new relationship."

Molly showed her agreement by pulling him down and kissing him very, very thoroughly.

A kiss that was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her mobile – and seconds later, his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments. I appreciate them all :)


	15. Fallout Part 1

Exchanging concerned looks, they pulled apart, then scrambled to find their phones in the litter of clothing scattered about the room. "Hello?" Molly said, somewhat breathlessly, just as she heard Sherlock say, "Dad? What is it, what's wrong?"

"I'm afraid there's been a bit of an incident, son," his father replied. Judging by the look on Molly's face, she was receiving much the same message from his mother. "Wills was climbing the tree with your old fort in it, and one of the branches gave."

"Is he all right?" "How badly was he hurt?" Both questions came at nearly the same time.

"Sherlock, are you with Molly?" his father asked.

Seeing no point in prevaricating, Sherlock replied, "Yes. How is Wills?"

"A few cuts and bruises, with the worst of it being his wrist. We think it's just a bad sprain, but we're taking him to St. Ambrose to have it looked over."

"St. Ambrose, got it," Molly was saying. She glanced at Sherlock, who nodded to indicate that he'd received the same news. "Sherlock and I will be there as quickly as we can. Thank you for calling, Violet." There was a pause. "No, it's all right, I know how he is when he gets an idea in his head. See you soon."

**oOo**

It was a tense ride to the hospital, which was about a half-hour's drive from their current location. As soon as they entered the A&E, Sherlock's father was there to greet them. "Violet's with him, he's in a cubicle just down the hall. They're going to take him up for x-rays soon, but the doctor thinks it's just a bad sprain," he said as they followed him down the hall.

As soon as he saw his mother Wills tried to get up from the gurney, but she shushed him and ordered him to lie back down. Violet made to leave, but Molly put her hand on the older woman's arm and shook her head. "Please, stay. It's fine." She did, however, accept the offer of the chair so she could sit down by Wills and look him over. "All right, young man, tell me what happened." She laid a comforting hand on his forehead, stroking the dark curls away from his brow.

"I fell," he said. "It was stupid. I knew the tree was old and stuff, but I just wanted…" His gaze flickered over to Sherlock for a second before he ducked his head toward his mother. "There was an old tree fort in it," he mumbled. "I wanted to see."

No, he wanted to do more than just  _see_ ; he wanted to experience something of his father's childhood, to explore the same places Sherlock had. Molly didn't have to be a consulting genius detective to figure that out. "Well, next time you want to do some exploring, maybe you should wait for your father to show you round instead," she said gently. "Or ask your grandparents for permission, hmm? Can you promise me that?"

He nodded meekly, and she planted a quick kiss on his forehead. "Right. That's sorted. Once they've done your scans and patched you up, we'll pick up your things and head home."

"But I'm supposed to stay all weekend!" he protested. Molly just looked at him, and he plopped his head back on the pillow before grumbling, "At least let me stay if it's just a sprain, Mum! Please?"

"We'll see," she said neutrally. He'd promised not to do anything so foolhardy again so she wasn't worried about a repeat of this morning's activities, but she didn't think it fair to ask Violet and Robert to care for him while injured.

His grandparents both looked rather miserable, and she knew without having to hear it that they were blaming themselves. She did her best to reassure them that taking Wills home had nothing to do with her being upset with them, that she didn't blame them in the least.

Wills let them know he felt the same way. "It was my own stupid fault," he insisted, his words coming in a rush. "I saw the tree and recognized it from the pictures and I didn't ask so it's my own fault."

There were several minutes spent in mutual reassurances after that, but Molly couldn't help but notice that Sherlock remained standing by the entrance to the cubicle, looking rather lost and awkward. He'd not said a word after they finished dressing and checked out of the hotel, but Molly had seen the tense set of his shoulders and how white his knuckles had been as he drove them to the hospital. It had given her an odd sort of comfort, seeing him reacting the way any parent would upon hearing that their child had been injured. No matter how briefly the relationship between father and son had existed, the bond between them couldn't be denied.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Wills said in a small voice, fiddling nervously with the IV line plonked into the back of his uninjured hand. "I didn't mean to break it…"

"The branch that fell was one of the ones supporting the floor," Robert supplied from his spot next to Violet. "And we've already told you, Wills, it's fine."

"It is," Sherlock assured him, finally moving into the room. His parents shuffled aside to give him room to squeeze in next to the gurney on the side opposite Molly. "It was old and I hadn't used it since I was younger than you."

"But it was your tree fort," Wills protested, a bit of a tremble to his lower lip. Molly could tell he was fighting back tears.

"It was a pile of rotten old boards on a tree that has seen better days as well," Sherlock corrected him firmly. "Not worth worrying about. The only broken thing that concerns me is your wrist." He gave it a critical look, and said exactly what Molly had been thinking: "I doubt it's broken, judging by the pattern of bruising and amount of swelling…"

Before he could launch into a more detailed explanation of his observations, the orderly arrived to take him up to radiology. Molly accompanied him, leaving Sherlock and his parents to await their return; as they were leaving, Molly heard Robert say, "You and Molly got here awfully quickly, son. Were you on your way to the house for some reason?"

They were out of earshot before Molly could hear his answer, and she just hoped he wasn't going to say anything too embarrassing!

**oOo**

A few hours later they were on their way back to the Holmes residence, Wills with his arm bandaged and in a sling. It was a sprain; a bad sprain, but no broken bones, thank goodness. He tried to wheedle Molly into letting him stay over for the night, but she stood firm: he was going home with her and he would come back for another sleepover after he'd completely healed. "Your grandparents don't need to deal with you while you're convalescing," she said when he protested again. "And don't look to your father for back-up, either," she added when she caught him shooting Sherlock a pleading glance.

"Right, what your mother said," Sherlock said hastily as she gave him a stern look. Probably not what he'd been going to say, judging by the quick way he schooled his expression, but he'd said the right thing and that was good enough for her.

It wasn't until they were back home in London, with Wills safely tucked up in bed and sleeping heavily from the painkillers he'd been prescribed that Molly allowed herself to finally dissolve into a weeping mess. Sherlock had accompanied them to the chemists and the flat, entertained Wills while she whipped up a quick pasta meal for the three of them, and was currently sitting on her sofa across from her and looking very alarmed.

"Sorry," she snuffled into a handful of tissues she took from the box he grabbed from her bathroom. "It's just...he could have been seriously hurt, and this isn't the first time, he can be so reckless, I worry about him and I should have thought to tell him not to do anything so daft…"

As she tried to control her tears, Sherlock took her hand, tugging gently until she stood up and allowed him to settle her against his side on the sofa. "You probably think I'm being very silly," she said once the worst of the emotional storm had passed. "Since he's fine and your parents took such wonderful care of him and even if it had been broken that's not so bad…"

"I've been in a lot of dangerous situations," Sherlock said, interrupting her ramblings. "I've been shot at, stabbed, nearly pushed into the path of an oncoming train...but I can honestly say that today was the first time I've ever actually been frightened - no, terrified." He looked down at her, his expression a curious mixture of bewilderment and admiration as he asked, "How do you do it, Molly? How do you live your life knowing that you'll have things like this to worry about, and not go mad?"

She gave him a wan smile and shook her head. "It's just part of being a parent, Sherlock. I can promise you that you might not have been frightened when all those horrible things happened to you, but if your parents knew about them? They were scared to death for you. All you can do is hope for the best but prepare for the worst - and pray the worst never happens."

"Or we could just lock him in his room for the rest of his life," Sherlock offered. He raised an eyebrow as she grinned and shook her head. "No? How about a tower, then? Attic? Medieval keep on an island surrounded by MI6 agents?"

Molly actually laughed at that one. "No, Sherlock. But don't think I'm not tempted." She sighed, her humor once again weighted down by her concerns over what might have happened to her son, had he fallen from a greater height or landed harder.

"You've lived with these sorts of fears for ten years, and I've only been a father for just over a month and I'm exhausted. I can't even begin to tell you how much I admire you for that."

A pleased smile curled Molly's lips. "You'll get used to it," she assured him. She started to relax into his arms, then started as she remembered something. "Oh! Your father! What did you tell him?"

Sherlock's brow furrowed in confusion. "What did I tell him when?"

"At the hospital," she said, looking up at him. "When he asked how we got there so fast…"

"Sightseeing," Sherlock replied. "I told him I was showing you the sights."

Molly raised an eyebrow. "The sights?" she parroted with a grin.

"The sights," Sherlock replied firmly. "I told my parents you wanted to get to know the area better."

"And they believed you?"

Sherlock shrugged. "They believed they'd best not ask any other questions about it," he conceded.

It was Molly's turn to frown a bit. "So are we keeping this - us - a secret?"

"Only for a little while, if you don't mind," Sherlock said. "In case things don't work out in the short-term."

"How 'short-term' are we talking?" Molly sounded decidedly unhappy, but Sherlock knew this was the right course for them to take.

"A month, perhaps two," he replied, watching carefully for her reaction. "I don't tell my parents, you don't tell your sister or mother; I don't tell John, you don't tell that gossipy friend of yours, Meena…"

"Hey, she's not gossipy!" Molly objected, then subsided with a glower as Sherlock just looked at her. "OK, fine, she's not exactly tight-lipped." She considered his proposition for a long minute, then finally nodded. "OK. Two months. And we especially don't tell Wills."

"Agreed." A particularly devilish look came into Sherlock's eyes. "Shall we seal it with a kiss?"

Molly glanced quickly toward the hallway leading to the flat's two bedrooms. Wills' door was firmly shut. "Absolutely." She pulled him down and kissed him, meaning it to be something between a friendly peck and a warm greeting, but things quickly heated up and soon they were snogging like two teenagers; Molly's blouse became unbuttoned and Sherlock's lips were doing very pleasant things to her breasts before she found the sense to call things to a stop.

He gave her a very reluctant kiss good-bye, promised to check in on Wills in the morning, and headed off to his own flat.


	16. Fallout Part 2

"So, I couldn't help noticing that you didn't come home last night."

Sherlock shrugged, never lifting his eyes from his mobile. He should have known John would pick up on that. Annoyingly predictable...and yet he hadn't predicted it. Too distracted by other things.  _Important_ things. "Wills had a bit of an accident. Ended up taking him to hospital." He knew what John had been implying and was confident the creatively altered truth would throw him off-track.

"What?" John asked sharply. Good, distraction working; keep him focused on Wills and the other matter would continue to remain his and Molly's secret, hopefully for that month or two they'd agreed on. "Is he all right? What happened?"

"Fell out of a tree, got a bit banged up, nothing serious - Oh, good! Molly says I can stop by and see him around lunchtime." He flashed John a quick grin. "That gives us just enough time to wrap up that case Lestrade's been blathering about."

"Oh, you mean the homicide?" was John's sarcastic response. "The one you were so confident was the sister, only now the sister's dead as well?"

"Mm, yes, that's the one," Sherlock replied, eyes back on his mobile. He grinned again, turning it to show John. "Look, Wills drew a turtle on his sling. Not bad for it being his off hand!"

"Right, a turtle. Very nice."

Sherlock could tell by John's tone that he was paying more attention to the bruises and cuts decorating Wills' face than he was to the artwork, so he pulled the mobile down and blackened the screen. "He's fine, John," he said impatiently. "I told you, my parents - we took him to the A&E…"

Too late. John Watson might not be a deductive genius but he clearly recognized a slip of the tongue when he heard it, and gleefully pounced. "So, why weren't you at your parents, then? And don't tell me it was because of the case." He lowered his voice, although there was no one to overhear them. "It wouldn't have anything to do with Molly, would it? Didn't the two of you drive Wills to your parents together?"

Sherlock jumped to his feet, moving briskly for the front door. "Mustn't keep Lestrade waiting," he said loudly. "We need to get the murderer into custody, and I know just how to flush him out."

"Yeah, right, coming," John groused, clearly disgruntled at having been deflected from his attempt to ferret out the truth of the weekend's events.

He badgered Sherlock the entire way there, unsuccessfully of course, but his persistence was annoying. Sherlock sent Molly a text warning her that John was possibly onto them, or at least suspected that they'd spent the night together, and was likely to try to pry confirmation out of her when he next saw her. She didn't respond, which was fine, because they'd reached NSY and were off on the case.

That same case occupied a great deal of his time for the next three weeks; he was in and out of London chasing leads, but made sure to keep in touch with Molly and Wills, who continued to add to the artwork adorning his sling until very little of the original off-white could be seen. John was made to admire each and every doodle that appeared, no matter if they were in London or in Wales, while at the same time continuing to be frustrated in his attempts to get Sherlock to admit to having spent the night with Molly.

Molly, during this same period, was busy coping with her injured son, her hectic work schedule, and her suddenly-unavailable...whatever she should call Sherlock now. His interest in continuing their whatever-it-was was unclear, and she didn't want to bother him when he was so busy with a case. Besides, she reasoned, Wills was the important one, and neither of his parents should be cluttering up their lives with trying to sort out their relationship while he was still on the mend.

All these distractions kept her from noticing one key thing about her own body: the absence of a certain monthly visitor, which had been due the week after her impulsive tryst with Sherlock. And when she finally  _did_ realize she was late, it was another few days before she actually put two and two together.

With a growing feeling of dread, Molly went to the chemist's and purchased the necessary items to either confirm or (please God) disprove her fears.

After peeing on the stick and waiting the requisite period of time, she closed her eyes, then opened them again as she held the piece of plastic up so she could read it.

There was no doubting the evidence before her. "Oh, God," she moaned, dropping her head into her free hand.

She was pregnant.

**oOo**

Sherlock frowned down at his mobile. "Bad news?" John asked, leaning forward a bit. He was seated opposite his friend as they took the train back to London. The case had been invigorating and exhausting at the same time, and he could hardly wait to get home to his own bed.

"No news at all," Sherlock answered, his frown deepening. "I sent Molly a text telling her we'd be back tonight, inviting her and Wills to dinner, but no answer."

"Isn't she at work?" John asked, leaning back again and folding his arms across his chest. They had another hour and a half before reaching their destination, and he intended to spend the bulk of it napping.

"Only until four, and it's five after," Sherlock replied. "More than enough time for her to have tidied up, grabbed her things and started for the train. Wait, what day is it?" he asked suddenly.

"Thursday," John replied after a quick glance at his watch.

"Ahh, that explains it...no, actually it doesn't." John watched, bemused, as Sherlock tapped impatient fingers against his jiggling leg. "Last week was the first week Wills could resume his violin lessons so there isn't any reason for Molly to change their usual schedule and take him herself. Her sister Grace usually does the running, but I suppose it's possible Molly is working late…"

He continued to mumble to himself, and John just shook his head and closed his eyes. They had an hour to go before they reached London, just enough time for a short kip. It was kind of entertaining, listening to Sherlock fret like any other man worried about his family, but not entertaining enough to keep him awake. Especially since he knew Sherlock wasn't going to admit anything about his relationship with Molly. It was obvious she was more to him than just his 'baby mama', but the stubborn arse refused to talk about it.

_Ah well,_  John thought as he drifted off to sleep,  _the truth will come out sooner or later._

**oOo**

"Hello? Molls, you in there?"

Molly jumped to her feet, startled at the sound of her sister's voice. "In the loo!" she called back. "I'll, I'll be, um, right out!"

She dropped the test into the bin and quickly washed her hands, not noticing in her hurry that the small stick of plastic with its tell-tale pink plus sign had landed on the edge rather than inside.

After drying her hands, she headed for the sitting room, where Grace was sprawled out comfortably on the sofa. "OK, so the demon spawn are at their violin lesson," her sister announced with a grin. "Break out the wine glasses, sister dear!" She raised her hand and showed Molly the bottle of red she'd brought with her.

"Oh, Christ, is it Thursday already?" Molly asked. She'd completely lost track of - well,  _everything_ \- after getting back from the chemist's. No surprise there; finding out you were unexpectedly pregnant - for the second time in your life! - did tend to play havoc with your sense of time.

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Course it's Thursday, Molls, where did you think Wills was? He and Louisa are at that Academy Sherlock insisted on enrolling them in for their two-hour torture session." She grimaced. "Well, torture for the instructors at least." She'd never understood her daughter's interest in learning to play, had confided to Molly that she'd always assumed it was just a competitive thing with her cousin that she'd grow out of. Four years later, it turned out both children just loved to play; trying to outdo each other was just the icing on the cake.

"Right, yeah, sorry, just...lost track for a bit, rough day at work," Molly lied. "Why don't I just go get something to open this with?" She gestured vaguely toward the bottle and headed into the kitchen, still in something of a fog.

Grace was right behind her, plonking the bottle down on the counter while Molly rooted through the odds and ends drawer for the corkscrew. "Must have been an extra rough day," Grace said sympathetically. "You don't usually let it get to you this bad." She opened up the cabinet and pulled out two wine glasses, setting them on the counter next to the bottle. "Back in a tic, gotta use the loo myself!"

Molly just nodded, focusing on the task at hand and trying not to panic. Not while Grace was here. She finally found the corkscrew and had just started to work on the foil wrapping on the bottle when she heard her sister make a god-awful screech. Molly raced to the bathroom, expecting to find Grace being held hostage by a spider, only to be confronted by the sight of her very angry sister holding the end of the used pregnancy test between two fingers. "Molly? What the fuck is this? Is this yours? Of course it's yours," she interrupted her own angry rant. "Who else's would it be? Don't tell me you actually let that wanker back into your bed!"

"Grace, calm down!" Molly said, snatching the pregnancy test from her sister's hand and dropping it into the bin. "What the hell are you doing going through my rubbish in the first place?"

"It was sitting on the edge and fell on the floor," Grace snapped back. "Nearly gave me a heart attack when I realized what it was! Seriously, Molly, what the hell is wrong with you? This is exactly what happened the last time you had sex with that man!"

"To be fair, I used two different types of birth control the first time, and still got pregnant," Molly pointed out, but Grace was having none of it.

"And how many types did you use this time?" When Molly just looked down and fiddled with the edges of her jumper, Grace huffed, "Just what I thought. Jesus, Molly! You're a grown woman now, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I'm a grown woman and can do whatever the hell I want without having to answer to my little sister!" Molly snapped back, stomping out of the bathroom. There was no point in lying to Grace; the truth would come out sooner or later and right now all she wanted to do was call Sherlock and ask him to come over. Because  _he_ was the one she should be having this conversation with.

"Some older sister you are," Grace huffed as she followed right after her. "Making the same sort of stupid mistakes you did when you were at university…"

Molly's eyes flashed dangerously as she stopped and turned to face the younger woman. "Are you about to tell me that my son should never have been born, Grace Louisa Markham? Because if you are…"

"No, of course not," her sister denied, backpedaling furiously. "Wills could never be a mistake, we love him, you know we do! I just meant you were supposed to be done with acting so irresponsibly, that's all."

"Yeah, well apparently there's no age limit for that sort of thing," Molly muttered, her anger dying as rapidly as it had erupted. She sat abruptly on the sofa. "God, Grace, what the hell am I going to do now? We've only just started this thing, Sherlock and I; Wills doesn't know and you weren't supposed to know and…"

"Hey, it'll be all right," Grace said, her own anger gone just as quickly as she sat next to Molly and pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll figure it out, just like we did before. Um, that is, if you're planning to keep it, of course."

"Yeah, that's the burning question of the hour," Molly mumbled into her sister's shoulder.

What the  _hell_ was she going to do?


	17. Fallout Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ride gets a bit bumpy from here on in, folks. Brace yourselves: in this chapter Sherlock more than a Bit Not Good. But have faith in your author!

Molly paced nervously from kitchen to sitting room and back again, alternately wringing her hands and stuffing them into the pockets of her jeans. She'd sent Wills to spend the night and possibly the weekend with her sister, and had extracted a promise from Grace that she'd not say anything until Molly had had the opportunity to speak to Sherlock. "Not even to Mark," she'd admonished her. Grace had promised even though both sisters knew she'd break that promise as soon as she had her husband to herself.

_Husband._  That word was one Molly had never expected to associate with herself...and still didn't, outside of some truly spectacular daydreams. If Sherlock tried to propose to her she'd give him a piece of her mind; it was far too early for any such nonsense, or even declarations of love. Although she suspected that she did love him, she didn't want him to tell her he loved her just because she was pregnant. Or propose to her for the same reason.

Pace, pace, turn. Of course, it was more likely that he would be angry with her, possibly even fling accusations of entrapment at her. Or worse, infidelity; she'd seen a show on the telly a few weeks back with just this sort of situation. Well, not exactly like this of course, but the heroine had gotten pregnant unexpectedly and the boyfriend had refused to believe the baby was his. She'd ended up with the nice chap she met at a support group for single parents, or had it been at one of the parenting classes she'd signed up for? Either way the boyfriend had been out of the picture entirely by the time the baby was born.

"Great Molly, just keep dreaming up worst-case scenarios," she groused to herself as she fished her mobile from her jeans pocket. She'd received a text from Sherlock asking her and Wills to dinner and had responded with a quick 'sorry we can't tonight' and hadn't heard back from him yet. Not that she really knew what to say to him - this was certainly not news one sent via text or even through a phone call! No, this required face-to-face time, but she wasn't sure if was ready for that just yet.

Which was why she was alone in her flat, pacing. Trying to make up her mind, to screw her courage to the sticking point and invite Sherlock over so they could talk. Or fight. Whatever. She knew she couldn't put it off for much longer. She was determined to speak to him before Wills' return, and then speak to her son as well. She hoped her son would be excited about getting a baby brother or sister. If, of course, she decided to continue the pregnancy.

Logic told her that would be the worst possible decision, no matter how Sherlock felt about it; whether he welcomed the news with joy (doubtful) or decided to cut her out of his life forever (entirely possible and she wouldn't blame him if he did), she would still be pregnant, raising a ten-year-old son and working a demanding job. Oh God, what if Sherlock turned out to be the type who was all for a woman working until she had a baby? She had no idea; they'd never talked about his feelings on the matter, mostly because it hadn't seemed pertinent to their current lives. Nor had they ever discussed the possibility of having more children; for God's sake, they'd just started seeing each other not that long ago!

"Oh, this is going to be a tough conversation," she muttered to herself as she circled the sitting room again. She gnawed on her thumbnail, eyes on the floor but unseeing, when she was startled by the sound of someone knocking at her door.

Since the block of flats had a keypad for residents and a buzzer system for visitors at the front entrance, she assumed it was Millicent from across the hall. Her neighbor was a bit of a scatterbrain and had a habit of forgetting her keys when she left in the morning for work. Molly had the emergency key sitting in a blown-glass candy dish near the door to her flat, and scooped it up as she opened the door, not bothering to check the peep-hole. "You really have to stop...doing...this."

She sputtered to a halt as she saw Sherlock standing in front of her door instead of her neighbor. "Oh. Sherlock. Hi."

"Something's wrong, what's wrong?" he demanded, pushing past her into the sitting room. "Is it Wills?" He whirled to face her, studying her intently. "No, not Wills," he pronounced while she gaped at him. "If it was Wills you would have contacted me, not just texted me that you couldn't come for dinner. Where is he, I might as well say hello while I'm here, and then you can tell me what's wrong."

Molly started to close her mouth, then open it again to explain that Wills wasn't there when Sherlock somehow deduced that fact for himself. He took a step closer to her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "It's a school night, he's finished his violin lesson and your obnoxious sister should have brought him home by now. In fact, he should have been home an hour ago, much too long for traffic to be an excuse and I know there isn't any roadwork on the route Grace usually takes. So he's with her and Louisa - dinner? No, not without you. And it's a school night. So why is our son spending the night at your sister's on a school night? What's happened?"

"I'm pregnant."

The words just burst from her lips, not at all how she'd planned them. She'd meant to ask him to sit down, to reassure him it wasn't anything bad - no one was ill or had died - but instead...instead her brain had shut down and she'd blurted out the truth with nothing to cushion the blow.

Sherlock's face went blank, and he went very still. Only his eyes moved, looking her up and down, no doubt taking in every detail, every nuance, assessing the truth of her words. Not that she would ever lie about such a thing, and certainly not to someone used to ascertaining the truth of a situation with the flick of an eye. And never, ever to someone she cared for. If he didn't know that about her by now, then he knew nothing about her at all.

"You're certain?"

She nodded. "Took a home test. I'll make an appointment for formal test, but...yeah. I'm certain."

"I see." She waited for him to say something - anything! - else, but he remained silent, his eyes gone distant and unfocused. Molly was about to ask him if he was all right when he gave a sharp nod and brought his attention back to her. "I will of course increase the maintenance I've been paying, help you find a larger flat to live in, and we'll get a formal visitation agreement worked out for both children once the baby's born. I presume the current arrangement between us regarding William will stand until then? I'll still be able to visit and have him stay with me or my parents? Take him on outings and such?"

His voice was cold, mechanical, until he mentioned their son. Then it cracked a little on the name, and Molly bit back a sob. He'd never called Wills by his full name, never treated her so formally, and all she could do was nod.

"Thank you," Sherlock said, giving a slight bow of the head before briskly rubbing his hands together. "Have our...have William text me whenever he likes, perhaps we can go to the British Museum this weekend, he's wanted to go."

They were both supposed to take him. "Sherlock," Molly said, hating the desperation in her voice. "Please...don't be like this. I didn't do this on purpose, you have to believe that…"

"Of course you didn't." His voice remained polite, disinterested. "We're both to blame, letting sentiment get in the way of common sense. Again. The first time should have taught us better. Well, live and learn as my mother likes to say." He gave another polite, formal nod. "Thank you for telling me right away, Molly. I'll be in touch." Then he swept past her, out the door, carefully closing it behind him as Molly finally allowed the tears to fall.

**oOo**

Sherlock stood with his back against Molly's door. He could hear her sobbing, the noise getting quieter and quieter until he heard the distant slam of an interior door. Gone into her bedroom, desiring privacy and the comfort of her inner sanctum even with no one in the flat to hear her. A habit she'd no doubt gained while living at home with her mother and sister and Wills, and then alone with Wills. Never wanting to burden others with her unhappiness, and certainly not wanting her son to see or hear her crying.

She was a very selfless woman, he reflected, eyes shut tight against the world, blocking out everything but the solidity of the door behind him and the roaring typhoon of chaos that was his current emotional state.

His emotions, but not his thoughts. His heart might be pounding, his stomach in knots, but his mind was curiously clear and calm. Shock, perhaps, although he wasn't entirely certain and certainly disinclined to investigate.

Pregnant. He'd let down his guard with Molly once, ten years ago, and gotten her pregnant. He'd let it down again, a month ago, and gotten her pregnant again. The only possible conclusion he could come to was to avoid intimate contact with her again. And to avoid intimate contact, he would have to avoid or at least minimize all other contact with her, lest he fall into the same trap.

Not that he was accusing her of trapping him; no, the fault lay entirely on his own shoulders. The only trap she was guilty of was of loving him. And love him she did; he knew it wasn't simply lust that motivated her, not some sort of desperate recreation of her reckless youth. She loved him. He could see it in her eyes every time she smiled at him; felt it in the way she kissed him, the way her body fitted so beautifully against his when they'd made love…

"No." He pushed himself away from the door, opening his eyes and giving a violent shake of his head. No. He couldn't allow himself to be further swayed by sentiment. He would love the new baby as much as he loved Wills, that much was a given, but he could and would make himself harden his heart against Molly and her feelings for him. If he didn't, the next thing he knew he'd find himself married and living in the suburbs, forced to work some boring nine-to-five government job, likely with Mycroft supervising him, forced into domesticity by his own inability to keep it in his pants, to put it crudely. "Caring isn't an advantage," he muttered as he made his way down the hall to the lift.

If he'd remembered that sooner, then he wouldn't have put Molly into this predicament in the first place. So the very least he could do was make up for it by putting her back where she belonged - at a very polite arm's length.


	18. Fallout Part 4

Sherlock stared up John, raising one hand to his nose and giving his so-called 'friend' an outraged look. "You punched me! Why did you punch me?"

John glared down at him, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Because somebody bloody well needed to, and since Molly didn't do it, I figured I'd better! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"The only thing that's wrong with me right now is that my supposed best friend just punched me in the nose for no reason!"

John's jaw dropped. "For no...are you insane? Do you even hear yourself when you talk? You just told me that Molly's pregnant, that you're the father, and that you broke up with her because of it! If there was ever a reason to punch someone, I'm pretty sure that would be it!"

Sherlock levered himself to a sitting position, but after a quick glance at John's pugnacious stance and obvious anger, wisely decided to stay put. "First of all, as you already pointed out, if anyone has the right to punch me, it's Molly," he said coolly. "Just because she didn't doesn't give you to right to act on her behalf. Secondly, this can hardly be termed a break up as the two of us aren't - weren't - in a relationship. All we did was have sex. Again."

"I think you actually believe all the crap you're spewing," John broke in wonderingly.

"Why shouldn't I? It's all true," Sherlock insisted, prodding gingerly at his nose while simultaneously ignoring the churning of his gut. "The pregnancy simply acted as a catalyst for my common sense, which has been sadly lacking ever since Molly and Wills came into my life. You said it yourself, warned me about getting involved with her…"

"I did no such thing!" John said indignantly.

"You practically accused me of manipulating her to get closer to Wills and yelled at me for snogging her while he and Mrs. Hudson were downstairs that first night you met them," Sherlock reminded him crossly. "And now you're yelling at me for finally seeing sense? For trying to protect Molly from either my lifestyle - I was shot recently, if you'll recall - or from being hurt by me? You of all people know what I'm like, John!"

He jumped to his feet, started to pace in front of the door, running an agitated hand through his hair. "Face it, John, I'm an ass and I was stupid to try and have a relationship with her, a personal relationship, rather than just being friendly, coparenting, whatever. Now there's another child on the way that neither of us planned for, when I'm still getting to know Wills - and if I was unselfish I'd cut him out of my life as well, to keep him safe and to keep him from being disappointed in me, it would be the kindest…"

John had apparently heard enough. "Kindest?" he exploded, his body actually shaking with rage. "You think any of this is  _kind_? No, Sherlock, what you did to Molly...that was  _not_ kind. And if you even  _think_ about cutting Wills out of your life, so help me God, I will personally thrash you to within an inch of your life, and I'm pretty sure Greg will be more than happy to help!"

Sherlock's brow scrunched in puzzlement. "Who's…" he started to ask, but John was having none of his bullshit. Not tonight.

"Lestrade!" he bellowed, moving a threatening step forward. "You know exactly who I'm fucking talking about, you tit!"

"Oh, goodness, I do so hate it when you boys fight!"

Mrs. Hudson's anxious voice cut through the growing tension, and very likely kept things from getting even more physical than they already had. John consciously unclenched his fists and took a step back, while Sherlock threw himself onto the sofa, arms crossed and face screwed up in an expression of annoyance.

"Sorry Mrs. H," John apologized with a forced grin. "Blame this one." He jerked his thumb at Sherlock, whose scowl deepened. "Maybe you can give him the benefit if your experiences and tell him what an absolute idiot he's being."

"Dear me, what have you done this time, Sherlock?" Mrs. Hudson asked, entering the room and depositing the tea tray she'd been carrying onto the coffee table.

"It could be John's fault," Sherlock muttered, even as he reached for his cup.

"Yes, dear, of course it could," their landlady said soothingly - and with not an ounce of conviction in her voice. She sat carefully next to him on the sofa, patted his knee and said, "So why don't you tell me what's going on?" Her upward glance included John in the request, and he grudgingly sat down in his chair, after dragging it closer to the coffee table and taking up his own cup of tea.

He distinctly saw Sherlock roll his eyes but chose to ignore it, instead focusing on Mrs. Hudson's expectant face. "This git," John said, pointing directly at Sherlock - as if there could be any doubt - "is a complete and utter arse. Molly Hooper it far too good for him…"

"Which is what I've been telling you," Sherlock interrupted him with a glare.

"But for some reason," John continued, ignoring his flatmate except to briefly return the glare, "she wants to be with him. And now he's cocked things up royally."

Mrs. Hudson settled back in her seat, lifting her own cup to her lips and remaining silent as John explained the whole, messy situation to her as he saw it.

**oOo**

Molly tensed as the door to the flat banged open and then shut again. She heard Wills put his things on the floor before he came over to where she was standing in the kitchen, pretending to be looking in the fridge for something.

"Mum? What's wrong?" he demanded. "What happened, why did you let me sleep over with Louisa on a school night? Are you sick or something?"

Molly inhaled sharply, then let it back out in a silent sigh, schooling her expression into one of (she hoped) mild inquiry. "Who said anything was wrong?" she said lightly as she closed the refrigerator and turned to face her son. "You and Louisa don't get to spend enough time together, so your aunt and uncle and I decided to try something new, that's all. You're both doing well in school, so there's no need to…"

"Mum." Wills cut her off with a scowl that made him look so very much like his father that Molly's breath caught in her throat. He folded his arms and cocked his head, narrowing his eyes, and the unconscious replication was complete. "Please, I didn't believe it when Aunt Grace said it and I really don't believe it now. You've never let me sleep over on a school night, ever, not even when we were practicing for a recital together. So what's wrong? Plus," he added before she could decide whether - or how - to answer him, "you've been crying. Your eyes are puffy and you're wearing that stuff you use to cover dark circles, so you didn't sleep very well. Are you sure you're not sick?"

Molly considered using that convenient excuse, then sighed and shook her head. She'd never lied to her son and now wasn't the time to start - but that didn't mean she was ready to tell him the full story. He wasn't anywhere near old enough for that, no matter how precocious. And there was no way she'd lay that kind of a burden on his shoulders even if he was a hundred and ten. "No, I'm not sick." She gestured toward the sofa. "But there are some things going on that I need to explain to you, so let's sit down, shall we?"

He nodded warily and followed her into the other room, taking a seat next to her on the sofa, hands tightly clasped on his lap.

She'd dreaded this moment, spent a good part of the night tossing and turning as she sought the right way to explain to Wills. "Your dad and I have decided we needed some time apart which means...well it means you'll still be spending time with him, just not with me."

He squinted at her suspiciously. "Is this because of his Work? Because you said it was like having a policeman or a soldier for a dad, that you wouldn't let that keep him from seeing me…"

"He'll still be seeing you," Molly hastened to assure him, blinking back sudden tears. "It's just that we...well, we realized we don't see things the same way, and it caused a bit of a falling out. Nothing to do with you," she added quickly as she saw the agitation in her son's expressive features. "We thought - well, we thought maybe we could try being something more than just friends, but it didn't work out. I'm sorry, but it will mean some changes."

"What kind of changes?"

Wills voice was very small, and Molly fought the urge to cuddle him close as she would have when he was younger. "Your dad will still be taking you on outings and such, of course, but I just won't be going with you, that's all. You'll still spend weekends with your grandparents, none of that's changed at all. Your dad still wants you in his life, he told me so himself."

Molly smiled brightly, but could see that Wills wasn't buying it. "There's something more, I can tell," he said. As expected. "What is it?"

She hesitated, one hand unconsciously going to her abdomen; she recognized her mistake immediately, but it was too late. "Mum!" Wills exclaimed, his voice a bit higher than usual and eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you having a  _baby_?"

She'd wanted to put off telling him the rest until a few months had passed, but faced with a direct question, she could do nothing but tell the truth. "Yes I am. You're going to be a big brother."

Wills stood up so quickly it was as if he'd somehow levitated off the sofa. "Is Dad mad at you because you're having a baby? Is he mad because you found another boyfriend and didn't tell him about it? Why didn't you tell me about it, Mom? Is it that guy from IT, the one who left all those mushy comments on your old blog?"

"No, it wasn't Jim, Wills." She wasn't about to tell her son that the only man who'd asked her out in the last five years had lost interest as soon as he realized Molly had a son. But Wills' questions made her realize that the one thing she most wanted to avoid talking about was a truth that had to be shared. Now, not later. "Your father and I were trying to see if maybe we could have a relationship but it didn't work out, like I said."

Wills' expression was one of pure anger. "And he dumped you because you're pregnant?"

"No, it wasn't like that," Molly exclaimed, reaching out to her son. The last thing she wanted was for him to blame his father for this mess. Yes, Sherlock had actually dumped her because she was pregnant, but she was partially to blame for letting her hormones overcome her common sense. Just like Grace had said, it was something a teenager would do, not a grown woman with commitments and responsibilities. "He knows about the baby, yes, but we'd already decided it wasn't going to work when we found out."

There it was, the lie she'd been trying not to tell. And all to protect her son's relationship with his father.

No, it wasn't just that, she admitted to herself later that evening, after Wills had gone to bed. She'd lied for selfish reasons as well.

She was in love with Sherlock. Even after he'd treated her so coldly, she was in love with him.

She groaned and dropped a throw pillow over her face. "Molly Hooper, you are a complete  _idiot_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for reading and leaving such nice comments. They're always appreciated. Only a few chapters to go before I've caught up to the M rated version so I'd better get cracking on that one!


	19. Fallout Part 5

Sherlock's mobile buzzed. He glanced at it disinterestedly, then did a double-take and a bit of a pantomime of pick-it-up-don't-pick-it-up when he saw it was from Molly.

Concern for Wills - and  _only_ concern for his son, he admonished himself - ultimately won out, and he grabbed it up from the edge of the coffee table.

_Wills knows about the baby & that your the father._

He dropped his head onto the back of the sofa, shutting his eyes briefly. He snapped them open again when he heard the buzz of another incoming text.

_I told him we already decided we couldn't be together before we found out about the baby. Letting u know so we can keep our stories straight._

She'd lied to Wills. The one thing she'd sworn she would never do, and there was only one reason she could have done it - for him. To help keep his relationship with his son from falling apart.

Christ. He didn't deserve this woman.

_Yeah, which is exactly why it's a good thing you ran away from her at the first test of your relationship._

He wished that thought gave him even an ounce of comfort.

His mobile pinged again.

_Hes upset so don't be surprised if he asks you a million questions next time he calls u._

Well. That wouldn't be a problem; he wasn't due to see Wills until the weekend, plenty of time for him to compose a child-friendly explanation to conform to Molly's vers…

"Hey, Dad."

**oOo**

"He did WHAT?"

The med students who were observing the post-mortem Molly was supposed to be performing stepped back as one, the expressions on their faces - had she bothered to look over at them - ranging from alarm to nervous curiosity, almost all of them secretly relieved that the interruption had come before she'd drawn back the sheet on the body of Mrs. Evelyn Harding-Goldman, who'd donated her cancer-riddled body to the medical school.

Molly had half-turned away from the table and students as she listened intently to the voice on the other side of her phone, but began pacing the longer the one-sided conversation went on. "I don't care what he said, he's going to get a proper-" she started to say, but broke off abruptly as she remembered where she was.

Walking backward toward the door, she pulled the mobile from her ear. "Sorry!" she said in a passable attempt at cheeriness. "Something very important's come up so I'm afraid you'll have to continue with Dr. M'Benga, who I'm dead certain will be able to answer all your questions." She waggled her phone and offered a weak smile as she continued to back toward the double doors. "Just wait here and don't touch anything until he gets here, thank you!" She returned her attention to the phone, hissing "Just a minute, let me  _think_!" before vanishing through the doors and leaving her very confused (not to mention  _extremely_ curious) students behind.

**oOo**

Mrs. Hudson, or 'Hudders' as Wills had taken to calling her, was entirely unrepentant when confronted in her kitchen by an irate Sherlock. "The poor lamb's not going to get a lick of work done in school when he's so upset. And he promised his mother he'd never duck out and take the Tube without permission, so really, it's a good thing he called me. Else he'd have been breaking his word."

Then she had the bloody  _nerve_ to sit back and sip her tea as if she hadn't just admitted to aiding and abetting Wills in cutting school without his mother's permission in order to come to Baker Street. "Mrs. Hudson," Sherlock began, only to be silenced by her dismissive hand wave.

"Tsk, don't try any of that on me, boyo," she said. "This is your mess. I've already given you my advice - not that I expected you to actually listen - and now it's up to you. That young man up there doesn't deserve to have his life turned upside down any more than it already has been. So go upstairs and talk to your son."

Then she literally turned her back on him, flicking through a fashion magazine as if there was nothing more important than the length of skirts this season.

Grumbling to himself, Sherlock mounted the stairs up to his flat with more reluctance than he'd ever felt at being summoned to Mycroft's government lair. At least with his brother there was no guilt gnawing away at him, no helpless feeling of being in over his head.

Talk to him. Mrs. Hudson made the impossible sound so easy.

How could he talk to his son when he had no idea what to say?

**oOo**

Molly gnawed on her thumbnail as the cab wove its way through London early-afternoon traffic. Neither Wills nor Sherlock were answering their mobiles, and Mrs. Hudson's went straight to voice message. Molly was still reeling from the older woman's earlier call, wherein she'd calmly informed Molly that Wills had asked her to pick him up at school (Mrs. Hudson had a car?!) so he could talk to his father...and she'd done it! Pretended to be Wills' grandmother while he pretended to be sick so he could nip out an hour early and visit his father.

As if things weren't enough of a mess right now.

She'd worked herself into a strop by the time they arrived at 221B Baker Street, overtipping the cabbie in her hurry to get inside. Would Sherlock treat Wills as coldly as he'd treated her when he broke with her? He wouldn't twist the blame onto her, would he? No, stupid, of course not, but he'd be cold and harsh, he'd never promised to be kind. _I am not a kind man, Molly._  He'd said that to her once, although it had been in response to her questioning him about a case John had written up in his blog.

She pressed the buzzer, shifting anxiously from foot to foot while she waited for an answer, her concern for her son's emotional well-being dangerously close to shifting into panic. Luckily Mrs. Hudson wasn't long in responding. "They're upstairs," was all she said as she pulled the door aside to allow Molly entrance. "And I shan't apologize," she called up after her as she took the steps two at a time. "Someone needs to talk some sense into that boy, and Wills is just the one to do it."

Molly let it go for now. Oh, she was furious with Mrs. Hudson, but right now was all about damage control; recriminations could wait until she made sure her son wasn't being emotionally eviscerated by his father.

She shoved open the partially shut parlor door and practically ran into the room, skidding to an abrupt stop as father and son turned to face her.

They were sitting on the sofa, a plate of biscuits balanced on Sherlock's knee; he was holding a cup of tea half-way to his lips and Wills was gulping down a glass of milk.

"Molly," Sherlock greeted her, his voice utterly neutral, his face blank of expression. "You look...well."

"I know you're mad," Wills said as he swallowed the last of his drink. "And I promise I won't ever ask Mrs. Hudson to pretend to be my gran ever again. But I had to see Dad." His lips turned down as he side-eyed his father - who actually looked uncomfortable. "I wanted to know why he was being such a, such a -"

"Such an ass," Sherlock interjected, carefully placing his cup back on its saucer, and surrendering the biscuit plate to Wills. He stood up, placing his hands carefully behind his back as he studied her. "We've had quite the conversation, Wills and I - and believe me," he added with a wince as he indicated his split lip, "he isn't the only person to want to know why I did what I did."

"Mm, John's a bit free with his fists," Molly said critically. "Unless it was Mrs. Hudson who punched you?" She felt a bit detached, as if this conversation was one she was listening to rather than participating in, and supposed it was some form of shock. Or perhaps she'd just finally gone numb? "And did you? Tell him?" She glanced over at Wills.

He stole a glance at his father before nodding, hanging his head a bit. "Yeah, he told me what you told me. That you tried but things didn't work out and you didn't want to tell me in case it didn't work out and that it wasn't because of the baby."

Molly tried her best to hide her surprise at that revelation, then realized it must be because he didn't want Wills any more upset with him than he already was. So she simply nodded and gestured for her son to join her. "I know this is a really upsetting time for you," she said, settling down on one knee so that they were closer in height. "And your father and I will do our best to help you, but you have absolutely got to give me your word you won't pull anything like this again," she said keeping her voice soft but stern. "And you know what I mean," she added quickly to forestall any possible protests or attempts to sidestep the upcoming ultimatum. "Not just involving Mrs. Hudson or taking the Tube without permission. Anything along those lines at all. Am I clear?"

He nodded, eyes downcast, but she noted the stubborn thrust of his mouth and held back a sigh. Was it too soon to get a therapist involved, someone Wills could talk to about everything that was going on in his life? Maybe. She'd give it a bit more time, wait for her own feelings to settle before making that kind of a decision.

As she rose to her feet, she glanced up at Sherlock, who was still standing there, utterly still and silent. "We, um, we should be going now," she said awkwardly. "Thank you, um, for…" Her voice trailed off; she couldn't actually thank him for sticking to the story she'd given him about the reason for their break-up, not in front of Wills. "For being there," she finally finished. "For Wills."

He nodded, unbending only to hug Wills when his son thanked him for the biscuits and milk. "I'll be out of town for a few days," he said when Wills returned, feet dragging, to Molly's side. "On a case. I'll text when I'm back, arrange our next visit."

"O-okay," Molly agreed with a small nod. "Come on Wills, time to go home."

He made no protest, and she forced herself not to look back as they headed down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost caught up to the M rated version. Thank you for sticking with me and for leaving comments!


	20. Fallout Part 6

As they headed home in the cab Molly had flagged down - miraculously on the first try - she couldn't help once again lecturing her son on his irresponsible actions. She stopped after a moment - not because it was obvious he wasn't paying attention, which he clearly wasn't - but because of the expression on his face. For someone who'd not received the answers he'd been looking for - and who was going to be spending a great deal of time in his room without his Playstation 4 or iPad for the next two weeks - he looked entirely too pleased with himself.

"What's got you smiling like that?" she asked as the cab stopped at a traffic light.

He turned to face her, his grin widening. "Dad," he said happily. When she tilted her head in a confused invitation to explain, he continued, "Didn't you see it, Mum? How glad he was to see you?" He turned back to the window, actually humming a bit as he jiggled his leg up and down in a manner she knew meant he was excited about something. "He misses you already. He's sorry things didn't work out."

Molly had nothing to say to that, not at the moment. She had no desire to burst her son's optimistic balloon; the only thing that would help convince him he was misreading his father's reaction would be time.

Nevertheless, her traitorous heart sped up a bit with a burst of its own, unwanted optimism.

She sighed. Apparently time would have to help convince her as well.

**oOo**

Sherlock waited until the door had closed behind them before letting out the breath he'd been holding and throwing himself into his chair. He reached down without looking, taking up his violin and bow with one hand and settling them on his lap, eyes focused on absolutely nothing. It had been a jolt, seeing Molly in his flat; even knowing that she was bound to be the one to pick Wills up hadn't fully prepared him for the moment.

"' _Molly, you look well,'_  how utterly original," he mocked himself as he plucked disconsolately at the strings of his violin. " _Christ_  I need a cigarette."

"Mm, bad idea, unless you want to follow your nicotine habit down the rabbit-hole to one of your even more unsavory vices."

He'd heard the door open, knew it was Mycroft by the sounds of his footsteps on the staircase, the deliberate tapping of his ever-present umbrella. Sherlock closed his eyes and waved his bow at his elder brother. "I suppose you have my flat bugged or something tedious like that."

"No need; I knew you'd broken things off with her as soon as I saw Miss Hooper and William entering the cab." Mycroft crossed the room and settled into John's chair, uninvited. "I presume it's because of the baby she's expecting in approximately eight month's time?"

Sherlock opened his eyes in order to glare at his brother. "No one even knew the two of us were...how the hell did you deduce that without hidden cameras and microphones?"

Mycroft shrugged and offered a thin smile. "What can I say, it's a gift."

"And a curse," Sherlock muttered in response. "At any rate it's none of your concern, except for contacting the family lawyers about maintenance and such. I'll spare you the task of informing our parents about the upcoming addition to the family. Was there anything else? Any gloating about how you were right, how sentiment is a chemical defect or the like?"

"I actually came by to discuss a potential job involving blackmail, royalty and a dominatrix, but I think I should manage that one on my own after all," he replied.

Sherlock closed his eyes again, waving his bow toward the door. "Very well. You can see yourself out, then."

"Actually…"

It was the hesitation in his brother's voice that brought Sherlock's eyes open this time, narrowed in a suspicious squint. "You're vacillating, Mycroft; you never vacillate. What is it?"

"I understand your reasoning in breaking things off with Miss Hooper, but I wonder if it isn't a bit like locking the barn door after the horse has already escaped."

The use of the Americanism - one of their father's favorites - startled him enough that he couldn't immediately think of a response. Mycroft took advantage of the rare moment to continue speaking. "After all, the child is already on its way; it's not like you can get her more pregnant than she already is."

Sherlock gaped at his brother for a long moment. "Mycroft," he finally said, "are you telling me I should resume intimate relations with Molly?"

Mycroft pursed his lips in a moue of distaste. "Please, Sherlock, let's not bring your tiresome physical relationship into the discussion. I merely wondered if you might wish to reconsider how you've been handling this...situation. I presume you intend to be a part of the new child's life after it's born?"

"Of course," Sherlock snapped, then caught himself. He glared at the knowing look Mycroft cast his way. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "You don't even like Molly."

"To be fair," Mycroft pointed out mildly, "there aren't a lot of people I  _do_ like. She is...tolerable enough, I suppose."

For Mycroft, that was practically an admission of affection, something Sherlock had never expected to hear. Especially considering how acrimonious his interactions were with John Watson even after all these years - and how low his opinion of Molly had been when he'd first been introduced to her.

"She's more than tolerable," he said, slumping back in his chair and scraping the bow across the strings of his violin. He ignored Mycroft's wince at the discordant sound. "I'm surprised you're willing to admit that." He smirked over at his brother. "Changed your tune a bit, haven't you?"

Mycroft responded with a dismissive wave of the hand, but Sherlock recognized it as the acknowledgement it actually was. That realization gave him pause; if Mycroft actually thought he was wrong to both physically and emotionally distance himself from Molly - if Mycroft was actually siding with John and Mrs. Hudson and Wills (and eventually their parents, once they were informed of his decision)...could it be that he actually  _was_ making a mistake?

He frowned and placed the violin under his chin, eyes no longer focused on the room around him. He was vaguely aware of Mycroft rising to his feet and exiting the flat, but that was fine, he needed some time alone in order to try to come to grips with his...feelings...for Molly Hooper.

Molly Hooper. His gaze turned inward as he entered his mind palace, summoning an image of her that brought a faint smile to his lips. She stood before him, cinnamon colored hair pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, sensible loafers on her feet, colorful striped jumper over a brightly patterned (clashing) blouse, small hands tucked into the pockets of her oversized lab coat, brown eyes serious, and her lips pinched in an expression of annoyance.

" _Well?"_ his mind Molly asked, crossing her arms and scowling at him.  _"What d'you want? I thought we were finished, done with, except for co-parenting responsibilities."_

" _So did I,"_ he admitted as he continued to study her. Molly Eleanora Hooper, Specialist Registrar at St. Bart's Hospital, aged 32. Intelligent (not on par with him of course but so few people were and the ones who were [Mycroft's image flickered in and out of view behind Molly] were incredibly annoying). Cheerful. Friendly. Loving mother. Almost supernaturally fertile…

He waved one hand in annoyance, 'erasing' the words as quickly as they appeared, floating around Molly's face.

Too late. Without conscious intent, her image flickered, vanished, reappeared. Now she was wearing the flowing, flowery dress from their night together in the hotel, with her hair pulled back from her face but loose about her shoulders, low sandals on her feet and legs bare, a light cardigan gracing her slender shoulders. She smiled sweetly and shrugged the cardigan off, allowing it to fall to the floor, stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his chest.

In the blink of an eye, her image changed again, to the faint clamor of warning alarms sounding in the distance. He scrambled to regain control, but it was too late: no longer standing in front of him, Molly now reclined, naked, on the bed they'd shared that very memorable night. Her hair was spread out on the pillow, eyes closed and mouth half-opened as if in anticipation of a kiss.

He tried desperately to change the image, but instead of Molly safely clothed in lab coat and khakis with her hair pulled back, she morphed into her 22 year old self. What was wrong with him? He shook his head, but the image refused to change.

Instead, the details crowded into his consciousness almost faster than he could process them: Hair pulled up in a messy bun. Light floral perfume not quite covering the musk of sweat. No jewelry save for a small gold cross around her throat (First Holy Communion gift from a doting relative [her parents]). Large brown eyes above a slightly upturned nose and a mouth his younger self dismissed as thin-lipped and forgettable. Simply dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt with the image of some band he vaguely recalled being popular at the time imprinted across the front. No bra (interesting choice for a girl who obviously wasn't on the pull, even if her breasts were on the small side). Plastic cup with - he sniffed - vodka tonic in one hand. Clearly uncomfortable ( _deeply distressed by her father's death, he now knew_ ) and ready to bolt until he stumbled down the stairs and started deducing her.

Mind palace imagery and memories merged until it was as if he was back in that long-ago day, not only seeing and hearing but also smelling, feeling, every sense engaged in the moment...

_The haze of smoke - so many people (himself included) were smoking (not her, she'd smoked for a bit when she first started uni but didn't care for it). Of course,_ his  _cigarette was mostly to try to mask the lingering smell of the spliff he'd split with a couple of guys whose names he'd deleted, but whatever._

" _You had a recent breakup," he announced as the girl stared morosely into her cup, clearly contemplating whether or not to have another or just ditch it and head back to her dorm (she obviously lived on campus, such an easy deduction, not worth making aloud)._

_She started and turned to stare up at him, brown eyes widening as she took in the appearance of the stranger who'd spoken to her so abruptly. He saw the unmistakable signs of attraction and withheld a sigh - so many people found him attractive that he'd gotten bored with the whole game. If he wanted to get a leg over he didn't even have to work at it anymore, but everyone seemed to expect_ him  _to make the first move. Dull._

" _H-how did you - " she started to ask, but he spoke over her, the deductions pouring out of him as the mellow high of the weed started to fade under the influence of the coke he'd snorted. He jittered one leg and allowed the cigarette to burn down to ash as he spoke, tapping it out absently into her cup just as it was about to break off and fall to the floor._

_When the flow of words finally stopped he grinned, enormously pleased with himself for only making a few observations that could be taken as criticisms, and those mostly for the ex who'd had the bad taste (_ bad taste? Had he really thought that at the time? Hmm, interesting, something to ponder in future _) to dump her for being 'too serious' about her studies. Her presence at this party was partially to prove him wrong even if he wasn't here to witness her act of rebellion, and partially due to some family crisis or other he had no interest in hearing about._

_He was just about to walk away, to avoid the flood of explanations and self-pity he was sure he was about to be subjected to when the girl surprised him. He saw her lips part, could practically hear the words she wanted to say burning on her tongue, when instead her gaze hardened into one of determination; she raised herself on tip-toes to bring them closer in height, setting her plastic cup on the steps, and pulled him down for a lingering kiss._

_She tasted of vodka and cherries and it had been so long that anyone had made such a bold move on him that he returned this kiss, pulling her close and making sure to deepen the kiss. Just in case she thought he wasn't up to the challenge. Of course if she changed her mind he'd have no problem forcing his libido back under control and had already started to school his expression into one of polite boredom when she surprised him again by sliding one hand down his chest and toying with the button to his jeans._

_He'd raised his eyebrows, enjoying her impish smile as she nipped her bottom lip between her teeth, and pulled her close for another kiss, this one even more intense than the first. He was buzzing with energy, endorphins flooding his brain, enjoying the hyper-focus with all the noise and distraction fading to a background buzz as he pictured the girl's naked body and all the things he wanted to do to her_ right now _._

_They pulled apart for a moment when some idiot came clattering down the stairs, muttering "Jesus, get a room, you two!" before squeezing by them._

_It would have been easy for her to take that moment to break away from his arms, murmur an excuse and made her escape. But she hadn't; he'd given her a lazy smile, tilted his head and flicked his eyes upward in a silent invitation, and practically watched the common sense fly right out of her mind._

_She'd accepted the hand he offered, allowed him to pull her quickly up to the next floor and Sebastian Wilkes' bedroom (serve the smarmy bastard right if they made a mess in his bed, considering that he'd ditched his girlfriend for one of her sorority sisters). He flicked on the overhead light and wedged a chair under the doorknob while the girl giggled and toed off her sensible flats._

_He was about to search Wilkes' messy bedside table for a condom when the girl (he really should have asked her name, too late to do so now, might ruin the mood, better to let her tell him as she undoubtedly would at some point during the next half-hour or so) surprised him for a third time by leaning over the side of the bed and rummaging in her handbag (a trendy but inexpensive knock-off of the most popular current style) for something. No, not 'something', but a condom; she held up the foil package between two fingers with a triumphant "Ah HA!" as if it had been deliberately hiding from her._

_As she dropped the open handbag back to the floor he caught a glimpse of the interior, the details automatically imprinting themselves on his mind: wallet, scrunchie, keys, wadded up (but unused) tissues, packet of birth control pills, lipstick, mascara… Then his attention was back on her as she started speaking. "You're going to wear this, don't give me any shit about it, got that?"_

" _No shit, got it," he reassured her with a grin, reaching for her, taking her into his arms and -_

"Christ!" Sherlock came back to himself with a startled jolt as the memory continued to its inevitable conclusion. And not only his memory, as he quickly discovered. How had that happened, how had his body betrayed him like that just from a relived memory?

"Sentiment  _is_ a chemical defect," he muttered to himself as he stood up and walked on rather unsteady feet to the bathroom.

No, he'd made the right decision, to distance himself from Molly Hooper as much as possible under the circumstances. She didn't even have to be in the room with him for his body and memory to betray him. How much worse would it be if he stopped fighting and gave in? He'd be just as bad as all those other boring, normal men - unable to think for themselves, obsessed with sex, depending on another person - a woman - for their happiness...No.

No, no matter what John or Mrs. Hudson or Mycroft thought, no matter how much Wills refused to believe him (and it was very obvious his son found his reasons suspicious at best), he knew he was right.

He was confident he'd be able to convince them all of that truth…

...that is, if he could manage to convince himself first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, all caught up to the M rated version. Thank you for your comments and I hope to have an update soon.


	21. Like Father, Like Son

_Previously..._

_No, he'd made the right decision, to distance himself from Molly Hooper as much as possible under the circumstances. She didn't even have to be in the room with him for his body and memory to betray him. How much worse would it be if he stopped fighting and gave in? He'd be just as bad as all those other boring, normal men - unable to think for themselves, obsessed with sex, depending on another person - a woman - for their happiness...No._

_No, no matter what John or Mrs. Hudson or Mycroft thought, no matter how much Wills refused to believe him (and it was very obvious his son found his reasons suspicious at best), he knew he was right._

_He was confident he'd be able to convince them all of that truth…_

_...that is, if he could manage to convince himself first._

* * *

Nearly a month later and he still hadn't been able to delete his feelings for Molly, to place her into a box labeled 'Mother of my child-soon-to-be-children and nothing more.' It certainly wasn't for lack of trying; as he'd said to Mycroft only a few days earlier, "It's all a gigantic, snarled ball of yarn that the cat's got at, no matter what I do. It won't…" He gestured wildly to indicate both is frustration and his indignation. "It won't organize itself! I can't separate Molly from Wills and I can't separate the bare facts from the emotional responses! Why is that?"

"Probably because you're in love with them both. Sentiment does tend to clutter the mind."

That conversation had ended with those ridiculous words. He wasn't in love with Molly, certainly not the way his brother had implied! It had been nothing but sex and an attempt to have some kind of a normal relationship that was clearly beyond his capabilities. No matter what anyone else might think.

"Sherlock, why is your mother texting me about their visit with Wills?"

He winced (inwardly, thank god) and put on a neutral expression as John held up his mobile in (unneeded) explanation. They were sitting across from one another in the front room of the flat, John tapping away on his computer and Sherlock ostensibly in his mind palace organizing things a bit.

Too bad Molly Hooper kept undoing all his efforts.

"She sent me a snap and everything," John prattled on. He glanced briefly at the photo on the screen. "The message just says how well he's doing, but I don't understand-"

"You should have that printed on a t-shirt," Sherlock snarked. At John's glare he rolled his eyes but decided explaining was preferable to listening to his flat-mate whinge. "She sent it to you because she's not speaking to me, but wants me to see what I missed out on."

It had been two weeks since Wills' and Molly's visit, two weeks during which he'd busied himself with case after case and come up with excuse after excuse not to interact with his parents except via the occasional text. He'd seen Wills only once during that time, when he'd collected him for the promised visit to the British Museum-and done his level best to keep the conversation off the subject of Molly and the new baby, with mixed results.

John's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why would you miss out on a visit with Wills-oh," he interrupted himself as his mobile buzzed with another incoming text. "That's why."

Although he knew exactly what he'd see, Sherlock nevertheless hopped to his feet and grabbed the phone from John before he could do more than exclaim "Hey!"

There was the picture of Wills John had mentioned, eating an ice lolly and mugging for the camera with his grandfather laughing next to him at the kitchen table. The next photo was of Molly and Wills and his mother. The other two were laughing at something off camera but Molly's expression was strained in spite of the smile she'd gamely pasted on.

"I wasn't invited," he said, keeping his voice flat and uncaring even though he knew it was pointless; no matter how convincing he might sound, John wouldn't let it drop.

"And whose fault is that?"

Ah John, so predictable. You could run the trains by how predictable John bloody Watson could be.

"Mine, obviously," Sherlock replied, doing his best to sound bored. Dismissive. And why shouldn't he? He and his parents didn't exactly spend every waking moment with one another; just because a grandson had been added to the mix, why should that change?

_But it has changed,_  an inner voice that sounded annoyingly like Mycroft at his most smug reminded him.  _You_ let  _it change and you actually_ enjoyed  _the change. But at the first sign of trouble, when you decided it was safer to go back to the way things were, no one else was willing to play along. So here you are, in a strop because Mummy and Dad have no intention of cutting Molly out of their lives the way you have._

"I'm not in a strop," he muttered before he could stop himself.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," John replied, as if he had any idea why Sherlock had said what he'd said. Then, as if to prove himself some kind of mind-reader, he added, "And while you're at it, keep telling yourself that you're better off alone, that alone protects you and everyone else around you." He stood up, draining the last dregs of his tea before slamming the mug down on the desk next to his computer. "But keep in mind that just because you've decided to cut Molly out of your life, doesn't mean the rest of us are going to."

With those words, he reached for his phone, slipped it into his back pocket and headed into the kitchen for no good reason that Sherlock could deduce.  _Probably thinks I need some 'space'_ , he thought with an attempt at a mental sneer.

The truth being - not that he would ever admit such a thing aloud - that the absolute  _last_ thing he needed at the moment was space.

No, what he really needed was a  _case_. Something to help him focus, get him back to the things that  _really_ mattered.

He winced as a veritable cacophony of inner voices pointed out exactly how wrong-headed that thought had been. Wills was more important than any case; he would drop his investigations in a heartbeat if his son ever needed him. It would only take a single phone call-

As if on cue, his phone rang with Will's particular ringtone, the theme music to some video game or other his son had picked out for himself. "What's wrong?" he found himself answering the phone, even though common sense told him it couldn't possibly be an emergency. Not if he and his mother were visiting the grandparents.

" _I'm bored,_ " Wills whined in response. " _All they want to do is talk about the baby. It's not even born yet and it's sucking up everyone's attention. Can't you come and take me for a hike or something, Dad? Please?_ "

"If your grandparents had wanted me to come, they would have asked me," Sherlock replied, knowing how weak a response it was even as he voiced it. "Besides, it would take an hour for me to get there, and for what? You'd be getting ready to head back to London by then."

" _I'm staying overnight,_ " Wills said. " _Can't you come, please? Mom is leaving before dinner so you won't even have to see her if you don't want to. I miss you, Dad,_ " he added.

Sherlock couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at that obvious attempt at emotional blackmail. Nevertheless, even knowing he was being manipulated, he said, "Fine, I'll be there in, hmm, two hours' time, depending on the trains. You'll just have to be bored until I get there."

" _Thanks, Dad, you're the best!_ " Will crowed before disconnecting.

John had come back into the room, cup of coffee in hand, in time to hear the last part of the conversation. "Going to Sussex, I take it?"

Sherlock didn't bother to respond to such an inane question, already on his feet and heading for his bedroom to throw together an overnight bag. "I'll be back in the morning, so you and your latest fling can enjoy a night together without having to stifle yourselves."

John rolled his eyes and sipped his brew. "Mary's not a fling, you tit. We've been dating for three months now."

"Oh, has it been that long?" Sherlock threw over his shoulder as he made his way into the kitchen and down the hall. "Then why haven't you brought her round yet?"

"I was thinking of doing so," John called after him, "until you decided to spend all your time sulking."

"Bring her round for dinner sometime," Sherlock shouted back as he entered his bedroom, completely ignoring the 'sulking' comment. "Let's see if she has what it takes to be more than a short-term...ah, that is, I'm sure Mrs. Hudson would love to meet her, if it's that serious already."

He pretended it wasn't the image of Molly's chastising expression in his mind that made him tone down his comment to John.

**Sussex - Two Hours Later**

"What do you mean, you can't look at it until Monday? I need to be back in London for work on Monday!" Molly glared at the phone receiver as if it was personally responsible for her car's failure to start.

"Hendrickson always was unreliable," Violet Holmes 'tsk'd' sympathetically as her husband flipped through the phone book in search of another garage Molly might try. "What about Boothe, is he still in business?"

Siger shook his head as Molly continued arguing with Hendrickson. "Retired last year, don't you remember? Sold the garage to those developers, you remember, the ones from Brighton, or was it Bournemouth? One of those, anyway." He peered back at the phone book. "Nearest one is that chain but they close early on Saturdays." His expression brightened. "I say, Molly, don't you have one of those motorcar roadside assistance things? GreenFlag or Eversure?"

She shook her head as she hung up the phone, her expression decidedly annoyed. "No. And even if I did, the best they'd be able to do would be to give me a tow to the nearest garage. Which can't even look at my car until Monday." She let out an unhappy sigh. "I've been meaning to get it since we started doing more driving out of London, but I keep forgetting."

"Pregnancy brain," Violet said comfortingly. "Well, there's nothing for it, then. You'll just have to stay the night, and you and Wills can take the train back tomorrow. We'll make sure Hendrickson takes a look at your car first thing on Monday, and as soon as it's fixed you can come back and get it. Or we could drive it back for you, if you feel you can trust us with it."

Molly smiled for the first time since discovering that her car wouldn't start. "I trust you with my son, of course I'd trust you with my car, Violet. If you're sure it's not an imposition…"

"Tosh, of course it's not an imposition! There, it's all settled, then. I'm sure I can find something for you to wear to sleep in - you can have Sherlock's old room, he rarely uses it and I'm afraid we've turned Mycroft's room into a bit of a hobby room." She smiled apologetically, and Molly nodded and hugged her in thanks. "OK, that's sorted. So. What can I do to help with dinner? Shepherd's pie, didn't you say you were making?"

Ten minutes later she and Violet were chatting away in the kitchen, chopping the veg and rolling out the pie crust while Wills and his grandfather settled down in the front room for a game of rummy.

It was only as they were setting down to eat forty minutes later that Molly had an inkling that things weren't exactly what they seemed. "Wills, you've set too many places!" she told her son with a grin. She gestured to the plate next to hers. "There's only four of us, don't tell me you've forgotten how to count!"

Her grin faded as she saw the guilty expression on his face. Soon after the sound of a key in the front door lock alerted her - and the elder Holmeses, who looked up in surprise - that the extra setting wouldn't exactly go to waste.

"I might have asked Dad to come by since you were gonna leave before dinner," Wills mumbled, sinking down in his seat a bit.

Molly shook her head in exasperation. "Honestly, William, why would you do such a thing without asking someone first? What if I'd changed my mind and decided to stay later? It's not fair to put us-"

"Ah, Molly, I saw your car outside and wondered why you changed your mind about staying," Sherlock's voice interrupted her. He gave his son a stern look as he joined them at the table, sitting next to Molly without looking at her. "William, hasn't anyone told you it's rude to manipulate people like this? Not to mention it's dangerous to tinker with a car's engine when you don't know what you're doing," he added, causing the other three adults in the room to gasp aloud.

"You didn't!" Molly exclaimed, but even as she said the words she knew Sherlock was right. "William Henry Hooper, you look me in the eye and tell me you didn't disable my car!"

"I watched a youtube video, I was careful, it's easy to fix, I just wanted you two to talk to each other!" Wills burst out, shoving his chair back as he jumped to his feet. "This is stupid, you two not talking when you want to be with each other! I hate it!"

He dashed out of the room; Molly started to rise when Violet put a restraining hand on her wrist. "Let Siger and I talk to him, dear." She nodded at her husband, who obediently rose and pulled out her chair with his usual old-fashioned manners. "Wills might have been wrong to do what he did, but he's absolutely right about you two needing to talk."

With a determined nod of her head, she allowed her husband to escort her from the kitchen, making sure to pull the door shut behind her.

Sherlock looked at the door, then over at Molly. She returned his gaze, feeling somewhat stunned. "Soo," he said, clapping his hands together and saying the only thing any reasonable person could expect him to say. "Shepherd's pie, eh? Fantastic, I'm starving."


	22. A Bit of a Scare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Previously..._   
>  _"William Henry Hooper, you look me in the eye and tell me you didn't disable my car!"_
> 
> _"I watched a youtube video, I was careful, it's easy to fix, I just wanted you two to talk to each other!" Wills burst out, shoving his chair back as he jumped to his feet. "This is stupid, you two not talking when you want to be with each other! I hate it!"_

Molly stared at Sherlock as he tucked into his Shepherd's pie, looked down at her own plate, then pushed it away and stood up. "Good-bye, Sherlock," she said as she stepped away from the table.

He could have reacted in any number of ways: he could have let her go without saying a word. He could have stopped her by grabbing her hand as she passed him. He could have even apologized, either for the stupidity of his comment or for how he'd treated her when she told him she was pregnant.

He could have done or said something - anything! - to let her know he was willing to be a grown-up about this untenable situation.

What he  _did_ say sent a jolt of absolute fury down her spine.

"And here I thought I was the one who was supposed to be the coward."

The words were softly spoken, but Molly reacted as if he'd slapped her, whirling around to face him. "How dare you!"

His lips quirked up in a facsimile of a smile - one that absolutely did not reach his eyes - as he put down his fork. "You've been reading too many period romances," he advised her, in tones that could be interpreted as either humorous or mocking, depending on one's mood.

Molly's mood was decidedly unforgiving at this point, and therefore her interpretation landed squarely on 'mocking' as she glared at him. "And you've been spending too much time with your head up your arse!" she snapped back. "I thought we were going to be civil about things, to keep from upsetting Wills, but that's too much to ask of the great consulting detective, is it? Then fine, I'll make damned sure he doesn't pull another stunt like this again!"

This time when she swept past him he stayed silent. But she thought she heard something very much like a sigh as she marched out of the kitchen.

That sigh, as it turned out, was her downfall. Literally. She hesitated, started to turn back, started to change her mind, took a single step...and tripped over the raised door jamb, smacking her head onto the door frame, letting out a small cry of alarm as she did so.

**oOo**

Sherlock had been in more than one perilous situation in his life. Out of all those times, he'd felt many things - thrilled, angry, disdainful, annoyed, exuberant - but the one thing he'd never felt was fear.

Truth be told, the only time he could really remember feeling that emotion was when Wills had sprained his arm and ended up in hospital. Not knowing how injured his son had been by that fall from the tree, resenting every second it took him and Molly to reach him, the churning in his gut so intense it bordered on nausea…

He felt all of that and more as he dashed to Molly's side, cursing as he stumbled over the low stool his mother used to reach the uppermost cabinets.

She was lying on the floor, eyes shut, head bleeding, and all because of him.

All because he had no idea how to navigate an actual, adult relationship.

By the time he knelt by her side - mere seconds no matter how eternally long they seemed to stretch - he had worked himself into a state bordering on panic. What if there was brain damage, what if she lost the baby, what if she di-

"Oh goodness, Sherlock, what's happened?"

His mother's voice grounded him, brought him back to himself, allowed him the few seconds he needed to stuff his overwhelming emotions down into the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind until he could take them out later and properly deal with them - or not, as the case may be.

"She lost her footing, fell and hit her head," he said succinctly, even as his mother joined him on the kitchen floor. "She's bleeding," he added unnecessarily, looking at his mother much as he had when, as a small child, he'd been in need of reassurance.

"Get some towels, Will," his mother said gently. "And call emergency services. She should be looked over, just to be sure."

Molly let out a small, distressed sound, her eyes moving rapidly, and Sherlock forgot what he'd been doing as he dropped back to his knees, cradling her head in his palms. "Shh, Molly, don't try to move," he urged her as she blinked herself back to consciousness. "My mum's calling for emergency services, you'll be fine…"

Molly pushed his hands away - gently, though - and carefully pulled herself to a sitting position. "I'm fine, Sherlock, I just need something for the bleeding. Stupid heels," she added, glaring down at her footwear. "Don't know why I bother, I've never been very good at walking in anything much above a pair of flats."

While she'd been nattering on, Sherlock's mum had fetched a clean towel and handed it to her. "How's your head, then?" she asked while Sherlock simply sat there, staring at Molly. "Must ache a bit. Are you sure about emergency services?"

"Positive, I'll be fine," Molly insisted as she started to rise to her feet. "Uh, then again…"

Sherlock caught her as she passed out again, making sure to keep the towel pressed to her head. "I'll drive her," he said, maneuvering the pair of them so he could more easily lift her into his arms. "You tell Dad and Wills what happened, and we'll-"

"What happened?" Wills appeared in the doorway, looking scared and very, very young. "Why's mum bleeding? Is she okay?"

Violet put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "She had a bit of a fall and hit her head. Your dad's taking her to the A&E so they can look her over. She might need a few stitches and an overnight stay, but he and your grandad will let us know. Go fetch him, luv; someone will need to drive while your dad keeps the bleeding under control."

"Can't I go too?" Wills asked as Sherlock began carrying Molly through the house toward the front door.

Sherlock didn't hear what his mother said in response, but he could guess - deduce - and therefore said the same things to his father when he hurried to join them from the sitting room, asking what had happened.

"We're going to the A&E," he told both Molly - who had regained consciousness, thank goodness - and his father. "I'll need you to drive, Dad, do you have your keys? Yes? Excellent. Help us into the car, if you would."

Molly opened her mouth to say something, protest maybe, but Sherlock spoke over her, his words pouring out in a rambling stream. "Don't worry about Wills, Mum will look after him and they can come by later if they decide to keep you overnight. No arguing," he added at her mutinous expression. "You've passed out twice now, could be concussion - damn I wish John was here," he muttered in an aside to himself as he jittered impatiently, waiting for his dad to get the door open. "You'll be fine, you'll both be fine," he continued, although whether it was Molly or himself who most needed reassuring was entirely unclear.

**Royal Sussex County Hospital- Two Hours Later**

"Well, Miss Hooper, I think it best we keep you overnight for observation. Just to sure."

Molly sighed and picked at the thin blanket that covered her hospital-gowned self. "I'll be fine," she insisted. "I'm a doctor, I know what signs to look for -"

"You're a specialty registrar and a pathologist," Sherlock corrected her testily. "Not a neurologist or even a GP. Besides," he added, doing that annoying thing where he barely allowed her to draw breath before cutting her off, "John is coming down to look you over and I think you'll both be more comfortable in a hospital environment while he examines you."

"Oh for- Sherlock, I can't believe you made John come all the way out here for that!" Molly glared at him, trying not to show how very much her head still ached - and how touched she was, beneath her irritation, at his concern for her well-being.

Hers, and the baby's. Everything was fine as far as the pregnancy was concerned, but Sherlock's fear during the drive to hospital and the wait until she was admitted had been palpable. She tried not to read too much into it, considering his recent behavior toward her, the way he'd cut things off between them still a raw, open wound, but it was hard not to be warmed by the way he was fussing over her. Pretending it was all for Wills' sake, even though their son wasn't there to witness his father's actions.

"Anyway," she plowed on, stuffing a lid on her overwrought emotions as best she could with a throbbing head (and ankle, she'd twisted the left one when she took her fall), "it's ridiculous for John to come all the way out here when I've already been seen and admitted."

"So you agree to stay the night?" Sherlock said, pouncing on her words like Tigger pouncing on Pooh-Bear. Oh how Wills had loved those stories when he was younger... "If I tell John he doesn't need to come after all, will you agree to stay right here-" he stabbed finger onto the railing of her bed "-until tomorrow?"

"Yes, fine," she agreed. Anything to shut him up so she could get some rest, maybe even some sleep before the next round of vitals-checking and flashlight-in-the-eyes the doctor was currently subjecting her to.

"Excellent." Sherlock stepped away from the bed, settling into the chair while the doctor completed his examination.

When he made no move to reach for his mobile, Molly frowned. "Aren't you going to call John? Text him, at least?"

"No need, wouldn't want to disturb him on his date," Sherlock replied smugly, and Molly gritted her teeth at how she'd been manipulated. "The staff here is perfectly adequate to oversee your care, and even if they aren't, I'll be here all night to make sure you're all right. Both of you," he added, his voice lowering a bit and his eyes darting to her midsection.

She held eye contact with him until the doctor left the room, neither of them taking any notice of whatever parting words he had to say. "Let me guess," Molly said as soon as the two of them were alone once more. "You've already sent your father home."

"And had him call and tell Wills and my mother that we're staying overnight," he said in bland confirmation. "They'll all come by in the morning - I don't doubt Wills would steal the car and drive here himself if we made him wait much longer than that - which reminds me." He pulled out his mobile and made as if to toss it to her, seeming to change his mind at the last second and instead rising and handing it to her. "Before you go to sleep, I'm guessing you'd like to talk to him. Reassure him."

Instead of retaking his seat, he walked to the door, pausing only to say, "I'll let you have some privacy, be back in a few minutes."

Then he was gone, and Molly was left pondering her very confused feelings for the infuriating man even as she brought up Wills' mobile number and waited for him to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, sorry for the delay, but I hope this was worth the wait. Only a few more chapters to go, I think, and I have a good start on the next one. Thank you for all your lovely comments and kudos, they mean so much!


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